Cobura

The Demokrata Respubliko de Kobura (Cobura) (Irkawan: Dēmokratia Enshlol ǹte Kobura; Luthorian: Democratic Republic of Cobura) is a nation that lies on the southwestern edge of the Majatran continent, bordering the nations of Zardugal and Jakania. Cobura also shares a border separated by Lake Majatra with Deltaria and Jelbania.

Cobura is a multicultural and diverse nation, encompassing five major cultures: Augustan, Irkawan, Mallan, Tokundian and Majatran.

Geography
Cobura is typically split into four principle regions in physical geography: the Northern region, including the Dovana range; the Central region, including the Cintra forest; the Southeast, mostly taken up by Domale; and the Higgs Peninsula. Lake Majatra, bordering the North, is closely associated with Cobura, and is often included in standard Coburan geography textbooks.

North Region
The Northern region is dominated by higher ground, and is bordered by Zardugal, Jakania, and Lake Majatra. It is separated from the rest of Cobura by the San Quato river, which supplies the region's most dependable source of moisture. The North holds the two largest Coburan lakes: Higgins Lake, named after the former President, and Dilaguadia.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the North lies not in the water, however, but in the magnificent mountains present. The Dovana Range, in fact, is the largest concentration of mountains in Cobura, and Mount Gateia is the country's highest point of elevation. Eastwards, Mount Augustanii stands as the second tallest Coburan mountain, and is a great source of pride in Dilganato.

The North is the largest of all Coburan regions, both by geography and population. Although residents face difficulties such as higher elevation, which increases the cost of transport, and uncomfortably hot temperatures by Coburan standards (the annual regional average is between 31 and -8 degrees Celsius), the Northern economy is very strong and thus renders the region attractive to citizens. In addition to the permanent population, the North is a popular destination for tourism and vacation residency, both of which thrive due to the presence of Lake Majatra, Mount Augustanii, the Dovana Range, the Zardugalian and Jakanian borders, and lakes Higgins and Dilaguadia.

Central Region
Central Cobura is dominated by the Cintra forest. Cintra is a large temperate rainforest, the largest in Southwestern Majatra, and the majority of it has been designated a protected environmental zone.

Due to the vast reaches of the Central Coburan conservation effort, settlement is limited, and sprawling metropolises nonexistent. Instead, most effort is focused on securing the future of the lush forests. Average annual temperatures range between 17 and 5 degrees Celsius, with copius precipitation. Species diversity is astonishingly high, leading some to label the region the Ecological Paradise of Cobura.

Southeast Region
The Southeast region is taken up entirely by the State of Domale. In contrast to the Northern plains and Central forests, the Southeast is dominated by grassland and a temperate climate, with moderate rainfall and average temperatures between 4 and 15 degrees Celsius. The soil is fertile and perfect for agriculture, which has led to Domale becoming Cobura's principle breadbasket. As a result, the Southeast's population density is lower than in the Higgs Peninsula or the North.

The Southeast's reliance on agriculture and rural living has resulted in the region lagging somewhat behind the rest of the nation technologically. Far from striving to amend this, many Domalians take pride in their reliance on manual labor and the idyllic, rustic view many outsiders have of their State. Although this leads to an influx of tourism and the occasional establishment of Utopia-building communities nostalgic for the past, the unfortunate consequence is that disease is more rampant and educational standards lower in Domale than elsewhere. In an attempt to remedy this, the national government has allocated a large portion of funds into Domale which, although improving the situation to some extent, has wounded local pride and fostered resentment toward outsiders.

Higgs Peninsula
Like Southeastern Cobura, the Higgens Peninsula rests entirely in the State of Tokundi. Climactically, the Higgs Peninsula is similar to the Southeast, though slightly colder and more forested. Culturally, Tokundi is the most unique of all Coburan states.

Although most of Cobura favors national unitarism, Tokundi citizens have always identified more with their region than their country. The State is marked by more militaristic, populist, and autocratic tendencies than the rest of the nation, and their culture glorifies military conquest -- something often frowned upon by non-Tokundi. In the past, the disparity between Tokundi and Coburan society has resulted in the establishment of Tokundi-centric parties, almost all statist in nature: most notably the infamous Tokundski Nacionalisti, which established the early Junta; the Free Tokundi Party; and the recent Tokundi Reform Party, founded by former members of the New People's Party. Tokundi was a base of power for the Populist Movement, which still retains a modicum of influence in the region. Linguistically, Tokundi's ties to the rest of Cobura are further weakened, as the major national language of English has been altered into a Tokundi-specific dialect. Though tourists from outside the region are able to understand the Tokundi, it takes a bit of effort and practice for most to be able to understand every word said with no confusion.

Despite enjoying the same fertile soils as the Southeast, Tokundi culture generally places a low value on farming, and the population is subsequently considerably denser. The Higgs Peninsula possesses the three major cities of Tokundburgh, Karlsburg, and Toklinn, the last of which enjoys the status of being Cobura's primary port. The regional economy is thoroughly reliant on manufacturing, though fishing plays a smaller role, and is one of the most consistently strong in all of Cobura. In fact, Tokundi's manufacturing districts supply goods for most of Cobura, and have been strongly attractive to workers during times of financial crisis.

Demographics
As of the most recent census, Cobura's population totaled 99,602,925. The populace is concentrated primarily in the North and Tokundi, and along the shore of both the ocean and Lake Majatra.

Ethnicity
In the same census, it was determined that the ethnic makeup of Cobura is roughly as follows:


 * 33% Augustans
 * 20% Irkawans
 * 18% Mallans
 * 14% Tokundians
 * 11% Majatrans
 * 4% Other

Language
The most widely spoken language in Cobura, and the language of government, is Augustan, the native language of the Augustans. Apart from Kobura, languages vary throughout the regions. Irkawan is the most widely spoken native language in Irkawa, Mallan is the dominant language in Domale, Tokundian is spoken in Tokundi, and Majatran is spoken as a first language by many in Dilganato. The "classical" predecessors of those languages (Arcaicam Coburam for Kobura, Ancient Irkawan for Irkawan, Ancient Mallan for Mallan, Old Tokundian for Tokundian, and Classical Majatran for Majatran) although no longer spoken, are sometimes used as languages of prestige and high culture by their respective ethnic groups

Religion
The most recent census in Cobura reported the following religious beliefs among the people of Cobura:


 * Terran Patriarchal Church: 39%
 * Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church: 33%
 * Irreligious: 15%
 * Ahmadiyya: 9%
 * Other: 4%

The vast majority of Coburans are Patriarchal Hosians. For a long time, the dominant Hosian denomination in Cobura was the Coburan Patriarchal Church, until it was forcefully rejoined with the Terran Patriarchal Church in 3526. The latter church was almost exclusively followed by Tokundians, while the CPC was a primarily an Augustan denomination. Now the Terran Patriarchal Church is the primary religion of both groups. The Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church, an autocephalous member of the Apostolic Church of the East, is predominantly followed by Irkawans and Mallans, and was granted autocephaly in 3527. The Majatrans of Cobura are mostly Ahmadis, and both Queranzariah and Abadism are present in the nation. A large number of Coburans are also irreligious.

Health
All Coburans have the option of utilizing public health care, which results in a high standard of health. Quality of health is further augmented by Cobura's abundance of natural beauty and pristine environments, encouraging many citizens to spend copious amounts of time out-of-doors hiking, swimming, and engaging in other physical activities.

Coburan health care is not without its challenges, however. In the North and Tokundi, the emphasis on industry has resulted in the presence of a thick smog in many cities. Furthermore, Cobura suffers from the same sedentary habits and unhealthy foods as other industrialized nations, which has impaired the health of many citizens and driven health care costs upwards. These obstacles are fortunately conquerable, though, and Coburan health remains generally good.

Education
Cobura has a very high standard for education, as the national culture values it highly and one of the government's prime responsibilities is to ensure that all have access to adequate learning.

Primary and Secondary Education
All Coburans must attend school until the age of 16, and have three options before then: Coburan schools are regulated to ensure that they meet strict standards set by the national government. Cobura's schools are well known for their rigor and difficulty, which has varyingly met with praise or petitions to ease the demands placed on students. At the moment, however, academics are far from being lenient, and as a result Coburans tend to fare well on international standardized tests.
 * Attend a public school, which is the most common choice.
 * Attend a private school, which is relatively uncommon, likely due to the high cost of a private education.
 * Be home schooled, which is rare in urban areas but popular in rural regions such as Domale.

Higher Education
In the last census, it was revealed that a full 63% of citizens hold a degree from an accredited university -- one of the highest rates in Majatra.

Tokundi and Irkawa possess their own regional university systems which supplement the National Universities, but the other three States rely entirely on the national system. The national system is as follows:
 * First Level Universities, which are found in the capitol of each region. These universities are the most prestigious public schools, and perform most of the research.
 * Second Level Universities, which are found in the most populous non-capitol cities. These are of medium rigor.
 * Third Level Universities, which are built in cities and towns based on the area that may be served rather than population of the area. This the lowest level, and the typical student is in the bottom third of his or her class.
 * Community Colleges, low-budget facilities built to provide basic education. No research is performed.
 * Speciality Universities, which are usually rigorous and prestigious, built to advance the study of a specific field. Examples are the School of Oceanography in Toklinn and the School of Agriculture in Nova Roma.

In addition to the public schools of Cobura, multiple private colleges exist, generally serving the wealthiest of Coburans and providing an exceedingly prestigious education. The premier private school is the University of Irkawa in Rio Irkawa, closely followed by Augustus University.

Another category of university, which cannot be included fully in the private or public sections, is the International University, which maintains a large campus in Hudson.

Most of Cobura's major cities are situated closely to the ocean or Lake Majatra. Due to the widespread conservation zones, settlement in Central Cobura is limited.

Religion
Religion in Cobura has traditionally plaid a relatively minor role, and many citizens identify as atheist or agnostic. Among the religious, Hosianism (especially Patriarchalism) has dominated more recent history, with occasional strong influences of Ahmadism. In the past two centuries, Cobura has seen an influx of minor religions, most notably Daenism, though none has yet achieved great influence.

Those with No Religion
Many Coburans do not belong to any religion, many describing themselves as atheist or agnostic. This is a large factor in Cobura's largely secular society and state. Coburans are generally suspicious of evangelists of any type, and foreign missionaries are usually banned or subject to extreme regulation.

Patriarchalism



 * Main Churches: Terran Patriarchal Church, Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church
 * Notable Others: Coburan Patriarchal Church (defunct), Apostolic Church of the East, Theognosian Church

After the Coburan Patriarchal Church split from the Terran Church, it experienced a surge of popularity within the populace. At one point, there was a great deal of political and social turmoil as Patriarchal and Secular forces vied for power in the legislature. The conflict eventually tapered off, but Patriarchalism was left with great influence in the country for years afterward. Eventually, the Coburan Church was forced to rejoin her mother Church, thus ending more than a millenium of schism. The Apostolic Church of the East is the traditional denomination followed by the Irkawans and Mallans, and the Coburan branch of the Church gained autocephaly (independence) as the Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church.

Ahmadism



 * Main Place of Worship: The Great Mosque of Cobura
 * Notable Sects: Queranzariah, Abadism

Ahmadism has never dominated religious sentiment in Cobura. However, it is quite popular across the continent of Majatra, and approimately 1 in 10 Coburans, almost entirely Majatrans, are Ahmadis. Ahmadis are primarily concentrated in the east and some coastal cities.

Yeudism


Yeudism has never been able to gain the influence and stature enjoyed by Hosianism or Ahmadism. Despite this, however, Yeudism enjoyed a period of power by virtue of the Modern Economic Party. The majority of the party's followers were members of some Yeudish sect, and as a result the party pushed Judaism onto the national stage. Since the Modern Economic Party's collapse, Yeudism has gradually faded to its current state, one of little influence on national affairs.

Sports
The national sport of Cobura is Basketball, which is the most widely watched and played sport in the country. The Coburan Basketball Championship, a professional tournament in which the majority of professional players are active, is a regular topic of discussion amongst all Coburans. The sport is managed primarily by the Coburan Basketball Association, which organizes the Annual League and Cup Tournaments.

Boxing is also a popular sport in Cobura. The city of Princeps, Egato, is known for its boxing matches and the astonishing number of great boxers who have been born in the city.

Cuisine
Food unique to Cobura tends to be rather bland but high in protein and fortifying nutrients, a reflection on the warrior cultures from ancient history. The Celts were more adventurous, exploring the culinary arts as a way to satisfy taste and bring pleasure rather than just as a method of ensuring physical strength, but their propensity for using organ meat has inhibited the spread of Celtic food. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the foods of the ancients tend to be unpopular in modern, industrial Coburan society. Most nationals prefer instead pleasant foreign foods, typically from Cobura's neighbors. As such, the cuisine of Cobura today can generally be called an amalgamation of the foods of Jakania, Zardugal, Deltaria, and Jelbania.

Literature, Art, and Philosophy
Cobura has a long and proud history in the arts. Painting is a treasured pastime in much of country, particularly in Domale and Irkawa, which enjoy an abundance of natural beauty. Despite the popularity of painting, few Coburan artists have become well known in the world as a whole, which may be attributed to the strong culture of Cobura's neighbors and the nation's traditional isolationism. Among the few that have acheived international prominence is Paul Hursey (2872-2941), who became famous for his gorgeous, realist depictions of Cintra Forest.

Music, too, has enjoyed popularity in Cobura. The ancient Tokundi Empire used to employ various forms of music extensively in order to enhance strength in combat. As a result, modern Tokundi culture values music immensely as a tool to enhance or alter moods and a plethora of musical styles have sprung up, many of which have become quite popular across Majatra.

Coburan literature has often been drowned out by that of foreign neighbors. Those few pieces of domestic writings that have become important have tended to be written with the intent of exploring and promulgating various philosophical outlooks, resulting in the grouping together of literature and philosophy. Indeed, to many Coburans the sole purpose of literature is to further philosophy. In the early days of the Republic, influences derived from the Augustanii Empire dominated the philosophical scene. These were supplanted by writings focusing on social injustice and advocating leftist worldviews, which were in turn replaced during the Middle Republic by the strong influence of the Coburan Catholic Church. In more recent centuries, the influence of the Church has waned, opening the door for a wide spectrum of philosophies to occupy the national stage. At the moment, no philosophical tendency has won dominance over the others, resulting in healthy, spirited debate.



Politics
Generally speaking, the Coburan people have often sided on more liberal policies.

Economy
Cobura enjoys the status of being a fully industrial economy with strong industry. The Republic today is notable for being very business friendly and having a rightist economy, with the corporate tax being only 22% and income taxes equaling about 8% of the GDP.

Manufacturing
Tokundi is the center of most Coburan manufacturing. The majority of working-class Tokundi are employed in

factories, producing the material goods consumed by the rest of Cobura and some Majatran nations. In fact, Tokundi dominates all aspects of Coburan manufacturing except for the automobile industry, which has resisted attempts by the State of Tokundi to move it and has stayed based in Egato.

Agriculture
Northern Cobura is unsuitable for farming, and therefore produces only a negligible amount of produce. Central Cobura's soil is more fertile, resulting in increased output. The Central Region, however, is more focused on technological development, and has neglected its agriculture. This leaves Tokundi and Domale to satisfy the bulk of Cobura's needs for food. Although Tokundi does engage in a good deal of farming, it defers the majority of the work to Domale, which results in the Southeastern State being the national breadbasket. Domale has prospered by its focus on agriculture, and is the recipient of much of the nation's budget regarding agricultural research.

Natural Resources
Exploitation of natural resources is common in much of Cobura. Mining is generally restricted to the North and the Higgs Peninsula, but is relatively unknown in the states of Irkawa, due to very strong environmentalist leanings, and Domale, due to the reliance on agriculture. The most commonly mined resources are iron and coal, which are very common throughout the North, and natural gas, which may be found across the country. In addition to these resources, base metals such as zinc and copper may be found in abundance in both the North and the Higgs Peninsula.

Fishing is another common activity. Like mining, it is frowned upon by most Irkawans, and Northerners lack diverse and populated waters. Fishing is a prosperous industry, however, in both Tokundi and Domale, which supply most of the nation's fish.

Other Sectors
Most of Cobura's other domestic economic activites, including information technology and energy, are found in the North and Irkawa. Computer-related industry is quite successful in Irkawa particularly, resulting in the state being the country's most technologically advanced region. In energy, renewable sources are very popular, as are coal and natural gas. In recent years, the government has taken the initiative in encouraging the growth of nuclear power, and the nuclear industry has hurtled into prosperity. In fact, nuclear power now accounts for as much as 37% of Cobura's energy needs, and economists predict that this share will only increase in future.

Government
The government of Cobura takes place within the framework of a democratic republic. The Head of state is also the head of Government. The legislative of Cobura, called the Senate, is elected every 3 years.. The Cabinet is headed by the Prezidanto de la Respubliko, and is voted on by the Senate.

Parliament of Cobura
Cobura's legislative body is called the Senate of Cobura  .  It is comprised of 100 seats, all elected simultaneously every 36 months. The Senate of Cobura is unicameral and  holds the most power of any government body. Its main duties are to enact laws and form cabinets. If a tie occurs, the president will be counted as a seat as well, giving the Senate theoretically 101 seats.

Current Political Parties:
The Cabinet is the primary organ of Cobura's executive branch. The members of the cabinet are as follows:
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs, who deals with Cobura's foreign policy.
 * Minister of Internal Affairs, who deals with domestic activities not covered by other Ministers.
 * Minister of Finance, who exercises powers relating to the economy.
 * Minister of Defense, who advises the President and Chancellor on the Coburan Armed Forces and possible threats to the nation's security.
 * Minister of Justice, who oversees the judiciary branch.
 * Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, who manages Coburan infrastructure.
 * Minister of Health and Social Services, who oversees the welfare system and the administration of health care.
 * Minister of Education and Culture, who organizes educational projects for the nation, including the building of schools, museums, libraries, and so on.
 * Minister of Science and Technology, who sets research goals and allocates science funding. Often works closely with the Minister of Health and Social Services.
 * Minister of Food and Agriculture, who deals with the logistics of feeding Cobura and how the nation's agricultural initiatives may be improved. Is historically from Domale.
 * Minister of Environment and Tourism, who oversees the administration of the conservation zones in Central Cobura, starts initiatives to make Cobura attractive to foreign tourists, and is tasked witth protecting the environment.
 * Minister of Trade and Industry, who manages both international and intranational trade. Works closely with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

States
Cobura is divided into five subnational divisions, called states.

Senate Districts
Each state is divided into 20 senate districts, which elect a senator for the Senate every 3 years.

Military
The military of Cobura is made up of multiple divisions, collectively labeled the Coburan Armed Forces. The Armed Forces are tasked with defending the nation from foreign invasion and domestic rebellion, but have been known in the past to be used in order to protect Coburan interests abroad. In recent years, Cobura has been inclined towards isolationism or peaceful internationalism, and so there are no combat veterans serving in the modern military.