Zardugal

The Free Federation of Zardugal is a republic on the continent of Majatra.

Geography
Zardugal is located on the Southwestern limb of the Majatran mainland, running from the centre of the Majatran Basin all the way to the Northwest coast. She shares borders with Vanuku Federation to the Northwest and The République Fédérée de Jelbania in the northeast. To the South is the Republic of Cobura. Lake Majatra represents an additional border on the Ingomu province. Much of the irrigation in the nation is provided by the enormous inland sea, Lake Majatra, and the two vast rivers, the Corious and Ustari Rivers.

The climate in Zardugal varies between a continental climate in the north, with cold winters, and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall patterns, and a more Adriatic climate in the south with hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy inland snowfall. Differences in elevation, proximity to Lake Majatran and large river basins, as well as the exposure to the winds account for climate differences. Northern areas of Zardugal possesses typical continental climate, with air masses from North and Western Majatran which shapes its climatic profile. South and Southwest Zardugal is subject to subtropical influences, however the inland mountain ranges contribute to the cooling down the biggest part of warm air masses.

History
Many years ago, not too long after the initial onrush of civilization, a series of dire winters and fruitless harvests in the already cultivated Anglo areas of modern Barmenia and Pontesi forced a massive migration south. A sizeable chunk of the Anglo peoples living in those nothern Majatran areas began a massive movement south in search of more fertile and welcoming lands.

After passing through the Vanukan isthmus, the Anglo migrants found large strectches of green and warm lands, as yet largely uncultivated, and began to settle in what is now Zardugal and Cobura. An indigenous population called the Mindiascorrag already lived in the area now known as Zardugal, centred in the plains of Unkassa, but with wandering tribes making a presence in all the surrounding areas. Central Unkassa was a called by the native Mindiascorrag Tsar-doo-galle, a name roughly translating as "ruling land", and was the heartland of the Mindiascorrag, though they lived a predominantly hunter-gatherer existence with relatively primitive settlement and little domestication. The Anglos wandering south developed friendly relations with the Mindiascorrag, and eventualy began to interbreed to a remarkable extent, it often being a sign of respect and enlightenment to arrange intermarriage. After only a few generations the mixed-race became dominant, and slowly the population evolved into an Anglo-influenced progrssive culture.

All the areas west of the Deltarian Sea had long been officially part of the Deltarska Imperia, known as the Western Oblast, and right now it was at the height of its influence. Other than administrators and civil judges, though, the Deltarians maintained little direct control over those fertile provinces, witht eh population of Deltaria itself being too fragile to encourage mass settlement. The Deltarians had subdivided the area of the Western Oblast into several administrative districts: Endirahad, Unkassa, Saqueya, Ingomu, Tokundi, Egato, Irkawa, Dominale, and Dilganato. However, as the years passed the Deltarska Imperia rotted from the inside and was soon ripped apart by violent internal strifes. Seeing the opportunity, local elites in all of the administrative quarters of the Western Oblast conspired for a mass independence movement. The Western Deltarian Secession was almost bloodless and took less than a year to care away almost a third of the Deltarska Imperia, starting it on its long road of decline until formed the reinvigorated, more compact Deltarska Federacia. All of the former administrative divisions devolved into loosely-held together autonomous states, but without formal central control or clear leaders in any of them the entire region threatened to dissolve into anarchism.

It might have done so, had it not been for Daniel Velostsone. Born in the generation immediately folloing the Western Deltarian Secession in Unkassa, he quickly rose through guile and personal heroism in the army fighting devolutionist elements to become undisputed warlord of Unkassa. Unkassa at the tiem being the most prosperous, fertile and populous area within the former-Western Oblast, he began to use it to his advantage. Appealing to the ancient idea of Tsar-Doo-Galle (Anglicized by Velostsone into "Zardugal") Velostsone declared that it was destiny for all of the state sof the former-Western Oblast to merge into one great new state. Over the next decade and a half Velostsone's armies crushed the ragtag and disorganized groups of the other states, and had within the coure of 15 years established a strong Great Zardugali Empire spanning over what is modern Zardugal and Cobura, firmly ruled centrally by Unkassa. In the center of Unkassa, right where Velostsone judged the heart of "Tsar-Doo-Galle" to be, he began a massive contruction effort on a brand new city, known as Capitalis. Within a few years Capitalis was a mighty metropolis, straked with great marble and granite buildings.

Intent on continuing his expansion of the Great Zardugali Empire, Velostsone set his eyes on moving north, back along the same path int eh opposite direction from hence his ancestors had come. Velostsone gathered up the pick of his troops ad sent a great force noth into Vanuku. Yet the Vanukans were not the weak and disorderly rabble he was used to fighting, and their professional army succesfully ambushed the Zardugali forces and, in the Battle of the Southern Isthmus, scored a decisive victory over them. Velostsone's army was shattered, and fell back haphazardly back into the Great Zardguali Empire. Not long afterwards, Velostsone died of sickness and depression.

Over the next several decades plagues and poor harvest plagued Unkassa, and the lush fields of it began to turn into literal deserts. A major climate change in that area had begun. At the same time Endirahad grew increasingly prosperous, and as more and more citizens from Unkassa fled north into Endirahad to escape the famine and plagues, Endirahad began to exert increasing control over the governorship of the Great Zardugali Empire. Unkassa and Endirahad finally came to brawls, and the fight over dominance over the Great Zardugali Empire began to rip the relatively-new Empire apart. All five southern provinces utlized the chaos to secede on their own accord,forming five new autonomous states in a loose confederation with eac other. A large Unkassan army marched south to bring the rebellious provinces to heel, which spurred the soutehrn provinces to formally unite into a single entity, called the Republic of Cobura, to defeat the Unkassan army. The two forces met at the Battle of Nova Venice, and after a gritty struggle the Unkassan force was encircled and annihilated. This cemented the existence of the new Republic of Cobura, who were now freed from northern domination.

As the battle between Unkassa and Endirahad grew ever more brutal, as they fought over the ever-dying remnants of the Great Zardugali Empire, the province of Saqueya managed to follow in the footsteps of Cobura and assert its independence, and managed to absorb some portions of Kalvere as well. After several more years Endirahadis entered Capitalis and massacred the entire population. The marble of the city ran with blood, and for many years to come it would remain a veritable ghost town. The victors in Endirahad established a new capital in Belgae, and sent a message demanding that the new Saqueyan Republic consent to assimilation within the Great Zardugali Empire. After initial refusals, the entire breadth of the Zardugali army marched on Saqueya, and the fragile republic was forced into submission, yet fostering seperatist sentiments in Saqueya that continue to this day. After five more decades, the corruption and inefficiency of the warlord government of the Great Zardugali Empire led to their being cast out by a mass popular movement within Belgae. A Parliament was brought in, intended to be a democratic body popularly chosen by the people, and to honor the occasion the state was renamed the Republic of Zardugal. The swearing-in of the Parlaiment in 2000 marked the beginning of properly-recorded history of Zardugal.

Government
The government of the Free Federation of Zardugal is a constitutional republic. It possesses a unicameral legislature, The National Directorate. The National Directorate holds elections every four years. The Federation of Zardugal has 174,224,427 citizens with sufferage whom are entitled to vote. Average voter turn-out remains consistent in and around 80% of the population. The National Directory is composed of six-hundred seats. Of the five provinces in Zardugal, those with larger population basis constitute a great influence in the Directorate by means of the current laws granting larger regions more influence in the elections.

Current Head of State

 * Lord Marshall Jonathan Daker

Past 5 former Heads of State

 * Lord Marshall Tarquin Kostandian (F.R.P.)
 * Tarquin Vortigon (F.R.P.)
 * Tarquin Vortigon (F.R.P.)
 * Cyril Zikan Kladiv (F.R.P.)
 * Cyril Zikan Kladiv (F.R.P.)
 * Cyril Zikan Kladiv (F.R.P.)

Current Political Parties

 * Socialist Worker's Party
 * Confederacy of Social Darwinists
 * Capitalist Party of Zardugal
 * Cavalier Party
 * Die Sitzplatz des Kaiser

Political Parties (Historical)
This is a list of all parties that were represented in the national legislature of Zardugal.


 * Anti-Particracy and Unionist Party 2121-2136
 * Bachelor Party 2193-2233
 * The Bolscevic Party 2175-2181, 2413-2436
 * Capitalist Party of Zardugal 2497-2504
 * Cavalier Party 2325-2497
 * Civic Platform 2152-2261
 * Conservative Party of Zardugal|Conservative Party]] 2390-2427
 * Dougberry Alliance 2123-2126
 * Hauthorn Party 2474-2486
 * Jacobin Society 2189-2269
 * Labor Party 2121-2152
 * the liberal front 2185-2193
 * Libertad Party 2454-2470
 * Liberty Party of Zardugal|Liberty Party 2431-2501
 * National Party of Zardugal|National Party 2438-2458
 * Nationalist Democratic Faction]] 2121-2136
 * Neo-Libertarian Party 2438-2474
 * New Age Party 2365-2386
 * Party for the Promotion of Pandas 2185-2349
 * Patriot Intellectual Social Conservative 2398-2410
 * People Party 2413-2446
 * People's Democratic Party of Zardugal|People's Democratic Party 2119-2141
 * Piggy Party 2265-2414
 * Social Progressive Party
 * Progressive Party 2133-2147
 * Red Star Movement 2144-2189
 * Reforma Ligo 2431-2436
 * Reformed Social Federalist Alliance 2431-2454
 * Revolutionary Army Left Movement 2459-2490
 * Roman Imperialist Party 2131-2378
 * Schwarz Kamm Party 2253-2419
 * Sin Organization 2321-2370
 * Social-federalist Party 2181-2205
 * Social Republican Party 2201-2217
 * Socialist Republic Party 2126-2152
 * Stoic Party 2454-2470
 * Veni Vidi Vici 2152-2175
 * Zardugal Anarchist Party 2442-2446
 * Zardugal's centrists 2149-2177
 * Zardugal Trade Unionist Party 2153-2189, 2442-2446

Demographics
Native Zardugalis share a very close ehtnic and cultural similarity with the English, and Zardugalis are as such considered a very Anglicized demographic. There are, however, some differences, both in language details and particularly the nationalism of the Zardugalis themselves that draw a distinction between the two. Self-described 'ethnic Zardugalis' comprise approximately 30% of the population of Zardugal. Voting records indicate a general preference for Zardugalis to affiliate themselves with the Erisian Liberation Front, and to a lesser extent the Rald Party, and they make up almost the entirety of Democratic Party sympathizers. Those among the Zardugali population who affiliate themselves more with an 'English' ethnic description comprise about 5% of the population, and almost overwhelmingly associate themselves with the Rald Party.

Generally welcomed in an Anglicized culture, ethnic Irish have been a feature in the nation of Zardugal almost since its inception. Their support had for a long time been dispersed, but with the inception of the Irish Party to rally themselves around, they reportedly almost all identify with it. For a long time the Irish population had held steady at just slightly under 10% of the general population, but recent immigration laws combined with other factors have blossomed the Irish demographic to now hold just under 20% of the general population.

The onrush of Russian immigration and subsequent assimilation into the Zardugal population has been a relatively recent phenomenon. Up to 2440 they had been almost unknown, yet at about that time Russian immigration began at an astonishing rate. It is believed that severe political and economic disturbances abroad were responsible. Unlike many other, particularly more Anglicized groups, the Russian population has been much more reluctant to assimilate into the general population and has clung to its Slavic heritage. As a result a disproportionate amount of distrubances and riots have been blamed on ethnic Russian unrest. Russians comprise slightly over 20% of the nation's population, and have almost unilaterally align themselves with the Zardugal Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Revolutionary People's Front, both of which are to a great extent carryovers from other socialistic Slavic areas and nations that they come from.

Ethnic Germans have long been a feature in Zardugal, though very little immigration of German nationals has been recorded. The German population appears to have traveled to the nation of Zardugal a very long time ago, and records are unclear as to the source or cause of this influx. Clear German seperation from the predominantly Anglicized culture is most likely what has preserved their status as a clear ethnic group without frequent immigration of new German nationals. Ethnic Germans make up an estimated 15% of the general population, and predominately affiliate themselves with the Germanically-oriented National Authoritarian Movement, though a minority are associated with the Zardugal Revolutionary Socialist Party.

The Minanadiascorrag are a small but ancient indigenous tribe that have inhabited the mountainous region of Unkassa for several centuries. The Minanadiascorrag language is a linguistic isolate with no near relatives. While they form over 40% of the population of Unkassa, they represent only 10% of the population of Zardugal. They tend to cluster in small villages, and have traditionally preferred small government, loose confederations and collectivist decision-making. The Official Unkassa Census of 2509 revealed in its occupational survey of ethnic Minanadiascorrag in Unkassa that 49% are co-owners of cooperative enterprises, 23% are guild merchants, 11% are professionals and artists, 7% are farmers, 5% are wage workers, and 5% work in "traditional employment" (hunting, fishing, etc.) The same census found that 69% of the Minanadiascorrag of Unkassa consider themselves Discordian, by far the largest single demographic group to claim allegiance to the religion. The Minanadiascorrag of Unkassaform a large part of the core support of the Erisian Liberation Front. Indeed, the best known Minanadiascorrag personality is Discordian Pope Doshgriss Fricasseedododoc, who is widely credited as being the leader who pushed the Discordian movement into the national political arena.

Religion
An estimated 20% of the population describe themselves as Discordian or Erisian. However, only an estimated 44.1% of the population describe themselves as genuinely affiliated with any religion at all. Approximmately 16.5% say that religion is not any sort of factor in their lives, and are not primarily concerned with theological issues. Almost a quarter of the population (24.6%) describe themselves as theologically agnostic, and very concerned about the maintenance of secularism. As of latest polls, about 14.8% of Zardugalis describe themselves as definite or de facto atheists.

It is generally agreed that Zardugal comprises a very secularist population, to various degrees. The religious community in Zardugal is traditionally quite varied and dispersed, although recently it has developed a strong core of Discordianism and Erisianism, rallied primarily by the now-predominant Erisian Liberation Front.