Kara
- This encyclopedia article is about the country in northeastern Uletha. You may be looking for a city of the same name.
United Republic of Kara Fjörnåde Repúblikke Kåra (Karska) Capital: Kara
Motto: Fjörnåde för Dämókrati (United for Democracy) Anthem: Sjänge som än (Sing as One) |
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Kara, officially known as the United Republic of Kara (Karska: Fjörnåde Repúblikke Kåra; Reuntha: Ánure Řepúblix̌ Kǿre; Vezhek: Vorencka Republika Kyorja; Kirek: ᛃᚠᛖᚱᚾᛟᛞ ᚱᛖᛈᛖᛈᛚᛁᚲᚨ ᚲᛟᚱᚨ) is a country in East Uletha. It shares a border with Älved, Boscunis, Glaster, and UL22c.
The United Republic of Kara was established in 1934 with the signing of the Union Treaty of Kara, which united the independent states of Karskat, Thilshull, Reuntha, and Vezhekja under a federal democratic republic. The Republic of Kirek joined the union in 1952.
Initially a 4-state (5 after Kirek joined) federal union with a very weak federal government, Kara's states remained relatively distinct culturally and linguistically. However, increased cultural mixing and growing demands for federal infrastructure and social programs led to the drafting of the United Kara Amendment of 1978, which passed with strong support from voters of all regions. The amendment, which took effect on 1 January 1979, created a new constitution that replaced the Union Treaty as the law of the land, replacing the initial 5-member national council that ruled with the current system of a national president and a 300-member legislature. It also abolished the 5-state system, replacing it with the current 17-state federal system.
Today, Kara is a modern, highly developed country with a regulated capitalist economy focused on modern agriculture, technology, and a small but rapidly-growing renewable energy sector. The government provides many benefits to citizens, especially to the socioeconomically disadvantaged. The national constitution guarantees significant freedoms to individuals and protection for ethnic minority groups.
Geography and Climate
Kara has a mixed temperate climate. The southern coast and Tebbjet River valley are particularly temperate, while the northern states are characterized by an alpine mountain climate.
Government and Politics
Administrative Divisions
Administrative divisions of Kara | |
---|---|
First-level | state (län) |
Second-level | municipality (kommun) |
Kara is divided into of 17 federal divisions, known as länär (LE-ner) or states, which have considerable governing power. Each state is further divided into municipalities, known as kommunär (CO-moon-eyr); each municipality administers public works and utilities as well as some local community programs. The capital city, Kara, is incorporated as its own state with the same privileges as the other states but is not split up into municipalities due to the impracticality of subdividing a single conurbation, and so the state government also carries out municipality-level responsibilities.
State | Municipalities | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name (Native Name) | Capital | Area (km2) | Names | # in State | |||||||||||||||||||
Bjergdals Län | Kärrstad | 2,967.40 |
|
7 | |||||||||||||||||||
Bördäjgrådes Län | Fjäistlsted | 1,587.68 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Förkedals Län
(Fourkedale State) |
Saint Joseph | 1,979.04 |
|
5 | |||||||||||||||||||
Gränös Län | Gröndälf | 2,901.37 |
|
9 | |||||||||||||||||||
Gvajllåds Län | Söjlestad | 1,312.59 |
|
19 | |||||||||||||||||||
Hrajvuns Län
(ßřǽvuη Skřö́ʒe) |
Xúlebøg | 3,246.80 |
|
9 | |||||||||||||||||||
Kåra Stads Län | Kåra | 174.79 | Kåra Stads Län[1] | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Kireks Län
(ᚲᛁᚱᛖᚲᛊ ᛚᛖᚾ) |
Otalid (ᛟᛏᚨᛚᛁᛞ) | 2,262.32 |
|
4 | |||||||||||||||||||
Ljenbäkks Län | Nykojpeng | 1,111.98 |
|
4 | |||||||||||||||||||
Mittedålts Län | Strammesdal | 2,392.60 |
|
4 | |||||||||||||||||||
Murräs Län | Väjtspläjt | 2,246.27 |
|
5 | |||||||||||||||||||
Rövings Län | Hjeplingåde | 2,056.14 |
|
18 | |||||||||||||||||||
Söjdrkösts Län | Fyrans | 1,180.22 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Täbbjets Län | Täbbjetsstad | 1,254.55 |
|
11 | |||||||||||||||||||
Tilshulls Län
(Thilshull State) |
Thilshull | 1,430.66 |
|
8 | |||||||||||||||||||
Upplandas Län | Kvröndesbljum | 1,627.67 |
|
3 | |||||||||||||||||||
Vejeks Län
(Vèžèks Stot) |
Vèžèkstot | 1,823.56 |
|
4 |
Government of Kara | |
---|---|
Federal presidential constitutional republic | |
Capital | Kara |
Head of state | |
• Präsident (President) | Kiri-Anna Päjtersson-Årdl |
• Legisatur-Tålare (Speaker of the Legislature) | Æstred Marija Gabrælzen (ᛇᛊᛏᚱᛖᛞ ᛗᚨᚱᛁᛃᚨ ᚷᚨᛒᚱᛇᛚᛉᛖᚾ) |
Legislature | |
• Upper house | Nationallegislatur (National Legislature) |
Judiciary | Hövda-Demstoll (High Court) |
Öfverdeme (Chief Judge) | Stǽfon Ǯöð |
Major political parties | |
Socialist Green Kireki Advocates National Democrats Independent Centrist Conservative Christic | |
Assembly of Nations - member state • Association of South Ulethan Nations - observer state |
Politics
The members of the legislature as well as the president are elected in partisan elections, although many candidates run (and win) without a party affiliation. Elections for the legislature are held every 2 years, with presidential elections occurring every 6 years. The legislature creates, debates, and passes federal laws with a simple (50% + 1) majority. Federal laws are subject to presidential veto, although this veto can be overridden with a 200-vote (or 2/3) majority in the legislature.
Several political parties have significant influence in the legislature, with the National Democratic, Centrist, and Conservative parties each holding significant power. Independent, non-party-affiliated representatives also hold a substantial number of seats in the legislature, but members do not vote as a group or in a bloc. The current president, Kiri-Anna Päjtersson-Årdl, is a member of the Centrist party.
Name | Current Leader | Left/Right Ideology | Core Ideologies | Seats Held |
---|---|---|---|---|
National Democrats | Æstred Marija Gabrælzen | Center-left to left | Social liberalism
Ulethanism Liberal capitalism |
92/300 (30.7%) |
Conservative | Jöns-Rudolf Björgman | Center-right to right | Classical liberalism
Conservatism Ulethanism |
54/300 (18.0%) |
Centrist | Áne Þö́resön | Center-left to center | Third-way centrism
Regulated capitalism Ulethanism |
50/300 (16.7%) |
Green | Äve Gröndblad-Ʒǽvöx̌ | Left to far left | Environmentalism
Social democracy Ulethanism |
15/300 (5.0%) |
Kireki Advocates | Þorsten-Sfæn Ottozen | Varies | Kireki nationalism
Karaskepticism Ulethaskepticism |
4/300 (1.3%) |
Socialist | Björn Andersson | Far left | Socialism
Isolationism Populism |
4/300 (1.3%) |
Christic | Jön Adam Bånövre | Right to far right | Social paleoconservatism
Christic nationalism Antiliberalism |
3/300 (1.0%) |
Independent | none | Varies | Varies | 78/300 (26.0%) |
Constitution
The current constitution took effect in 1979 after it passed a national referendum. The document can be changed with the support of the majority of the legislature and a 66% majority of voters in the next legislative election.
Individual Rights
The Indevídjalle-Frädhäter (Individual Freedoms) section of the Karska constitution guaranteed several liberties and rights in its original iteration, with some later additions:
Liberty or Right | Year Added to Constitution |
---|---|
Freedoms of speech and press | 1979 (part of original consitution) |
Freedoms of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest | |
Freedom of religious belief and practice | |
Right to speedy, public trial by impartial jury | |
Right to vote for all Karska citizens over the age of 18 | |
Right to refuse to testify against oneself | |
Freedom from invasive searches without a warrant or probable cause | |
Freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, color, class, sex, gender, ethnicity, or nationality | |
Right to citizenship for children born to at least one Karska citizen parent | |
Freedom from discrimination on the basis of religion or disability status | 1980 |
Freedom from enslavement beyond the reasonable punishment of a crime | |
Right to own weapons for purposes of hunting or personal defense, subject to reasonable government regulation intended to preserve public safety | 1984 |
Freedom from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or preference | 1988 |
Right to vote for all legal, permanent-resident aliens over the age of 18 who have resided in Kara for at least 5 years | 1994 |
Right to marry without regard to gender for all unmarried, consenting individuals over 18[3] | 2008 |
Freedom from discrimination on the basis of being transgender or gender-nonconforming | 2012 |
Right to citizenship for children born to at least one permanent-resident alien parent | 2018 |
National Anthem
Kara's national anthem, Sing as One, was written for the ratification ceremony of the United Kara Amendment; the first act of the National Legislature made it the official national anthem.
Karska | Ingerish | Reunthan |
---|---|---|
Sjänge som Än | Sing as One | Mök an Ʒun |
Komme og sjänge som än
Komme, föräna vårt land Vi kommer åt stå tillsamms Vi kommer åt vår bara Låt os stå för saningen Låt os sjänge för rättvis
Vi älskar dämókrati Vi ska hjälpe varandra Vi ska sjänge för frädhät Vi räspékterar andra Vi räspékterar vårt häm
Utmaningar ställs öferfun Örättvis attakkärar Örättvis vi bäkämpa Komme, vi vinner kampän Komme og sjänge som än |
Let us come and sing as one
Let us go unite our land For we are united as one We unite for all that's fair Let us stand for what is true Let us stand for what is just
And we love democracy We will lend each other aid We will sue for lasting peace We respect each human heart We respect this land that's ours
Challenges, they shall not stay And injustice may molest But we fight it to the end Come, the battle must be won Let us come and sing as one |
Kúmeη, wi ßo mök an ʒun
Kúmeη, wi ánuren ðe land Wi yr an mö́ke x̌u laž Wi yr an x̌ánze dö bjar ßǿnde wi dö ðe vjögú ßǿnde wi dö řáx̌ide
Wi luva x̌ánzegjuke Wi ßo hö́de ðe óǯře Wi ßo mjóřx̌ø dö frúdo Jænór wi gof fo óǯře Jænór wi gof fo ðe uřþ
Xálen ßo gö mux duz Eřáx̌ide kwo øηǽ Eřáx̌ide wi ßo gówo Kúmeη, wi wíne ðe vur Kúmeη, wi ßo mök an ʒun |
Demographics
Demographics of Kara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Demonym | Karska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official languages | Karska, Reunthan (Řjúnþeř), Vezhek (Vèžèk), Kirek (ᚲᛁᚱᛖᚲᚨ), Ingerish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ethnicities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Religion
Kara has not had an established state religion since the United Kara Amendment of 1979. Previous to that amendment, the government designated 5 state Christic churches (one for each ethnic/linguistic region). The 5 state churches have since united to form the People's Church of Kara.
Historically a Christic area, a significant majority of Karskas identify as Christic, although some other minority faiths have also gained traction, particularly through immigration. Religiously unaffiliated individuals also make up a substantial minority of the population.
People's Church of Kara
Initially founded in Kara city from a group of Christic groups in the area in the 15th century, the Church of Kara was under the leadership of the Karska monarch until the mid-18th century. It uses a traditional liturgical service, with a particular emphasis placed on music and collective prayer in services. The church continues to play a significant role in Karska society.
For its first several centuries of existence, the church's leadership exerted tight control on ideas and information within the faith, maintaining a strongly conservative belief and policy system, which continued to be very influential in society, although this influence did decrease in the 17th and 18th centuries with growing secularism and independent thought. However, the church's direction changed as a result of the 1784 secession of the Holy Grace Church in Nådensted in Bjergdals Län, which attracted many believers with its strong yet liberal belief system. In response to this crisis, the People's Church loosened control in many areas, allowing more liberal ideas to gain traction within the church.
In 1928, the church's general council elected Hans Jösef Zakrisson as Head Priest of the church. Zakrisson, the de facto leader of the church's liberal wing and a staunch proponent of liberalism and democracy in society, led several reforms in the church that ultimately were very influential in the formation of modern Kara under the Union Treaty of 1934. Within a decade, the People's Church became strongly liberal-leaning (ironically, some conservative detractors defected to the Holy Grace Church, steering it to become more conservative than the People's Church). Since the 1930s, the church has held to a strongly liberal, universalist theology and a cultural emphasis on inclusion. However, the church has also remained open to a variety of theological and political ideas, and so there are some significant conservative factions within the faith, although many conservative detractors have left for the Holy Grace denomination in recent years.
Nonetheless, the liberal majority has steered the church's policy in a strongly progressive direction, such as was seen in its 1963 resolution urging the Karska government to open the country to refugees and its calls for preservation of minority languages in the 1980s. More recently, the church moved in 2001 to allow same-sex couples to be married by the church in places where such marriage was legal, and this move is widely agreed to have been a key catalyst of the 2003 legislative decision and 2008 constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to same-sex marriage in Kara.
In 2011, Jöne Mäjbjerg became the first openly transgender and non-binary priest in the People's Church, and a 2016 council canonized them and renamed their local church (Sankte Jöne Mäjbjergs Folkes- og Domkärke Äjbsö) in their honor.
Languages
As a multinational state, several languages are used across Kara, and five languages (Karska, Reunthan, Vezhek, Kirek, and Ingerish) are federally recognized as official languages. Among them, Karska is the most commonly used.
The map below shows the distribution of dominant language across Kara: Karska (green), Ingerish (red), Reunthan (yellow), Vezhek (purple-blue), and Kirek (light pink-purple).
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Karska
Karska (Kårska) is a Gaermanic language that is the lingua franca of Kara. It is the most widely spoken language in the nation. It uses a 26-letter Latinic alphabet.
Karska Pronunciation
Letter | IPA | Rough Federal States Ingerish Equivalence |
---|---|---|
Aa | ⟨a⟩ | got |
⟨ə⟩ or ⟨ɜ⟩ when at the end of some words | problem | |
Ää | ⟨ɛ⟩ | ever |
Åå | ⟨ɔ⟩ | dawn |
Bb | ⟨b⟩ | bake |
Cc | ⟨s⟩ | center |
⟨k⟩ | cave | |
Dd | ⟨d⟩ | dote |
Ee | ⟨ə⟩ (schwa) | problem |
⟨ɛ⟩ (when the first letter of a word or with diacritic) | ever | |
Ff | ⟨f⟩ | fee |
Gg | ⟨ɡ⟩ | good |
Hh | ⟨h⟩ | home |
Ii | ⟨i⟩ | me |
Jj | ⟨j⟩ | you |
Kk | ⟨k⟩ | cave |
Ll | ⟨l⟩ | low |
Mm | ⟨m⟩ | mat |
Nn | ⟨n⟩ | never |
Oo | ⟨ʊ⟩ | look |
⟨o⟩ (when with a diacritic, uncommon otherwise) | over | |
Öö | ⟨o⟩ | over |
Pp | ⟨p⟩ | pine |
Rr | ⟨r⟩ for "r" | no Ingerish equivalent, similar to Castellanese rolled "r" as in perro |
⟨ɾ⟩ for "rr" | no Ingerish equivalent, nearly a very quick ⟨d⟩ as in dote | |
Ss | ⟨s⟩ | so |
Tt | ⟨t⟩ | too |
Uu | ⟨u⟩ | clue |
Vv | ⟨v⟩ | vow |
Yy | ⟨y⟩ | no Ingerish equivalent, essentially an ⟨i⟩ in me with rounded lips |
Zz | ⟨z⟩ | zoo |
Accent Marks
In Karska, the first syllable of a word is always emphasized, except when otherwise marked with an accent on the vowel of the syllable to be emphasized. Áá, Íí, and Úú are prononced the same as their "core" letters (Aa, Ii, and Uu, respectively), while Éé and Óó are pronounced as Ää and Öö, respectively.
Example pronunciations of words/terms/names
Term/name | IPA | Rough Federal States Ingerish Equivalent |
---|---|---|
Ädrúnaby | ɛdɾunaby | Ed-run-ah-beu |
Bördäjgrådes Län | boɾdɛjgrɔdəs lɛn | Bor-deyg-rawd-uhs Len |
Fjörnåde Repúblikka Kåra | fjornɔdə ɾəpublika kɔra | Fyoor-nah-duh Ruh-poob-lee-kah Kaw-ra |
Hjeplingåde | hjəplingɔdə | Hyuhp-leeng-ah-duh |
Län | lɛn | Len |
Märänétjårp | mɛɾɛnɛttjɔrp | Meh-reh-neht-tjaurp |
Kirek
Kirek is one of the official languages of Kara. It is spoken in Kireks Len in the north of the country. Mutually intelligible with Karska and Vezhek, most linguists consider it to be a dialect of Karska. The most substantial differentiator of Kirek is its writing system; traditional Kirek writing uses a different character set than Karska, although a Latinic transcription is becoming increasing common among native speakers as well.
Vezhek
Vezhek is one of Kara's official languages, and it is spoken in Vezheks Stot in the northwest portion of the country. It is mutually intelligible with both Karska and Kirek, and most linguists consider it a dialect of Karska for this reason. While it does use the same character set as Karska, Vezhek attaches different sounds to some letters and diacritic marks.
Reunthan
Reunthan is a Gaermanic language that is one of the official languages of Kara and is widely used in the northwestern regions of the country. Most linguists agree that the language is most closely related to Karska; however, over time Reunthan has incorporated elements of other languages, particularly Thilshullian and Ingerish. While not entirely mutually intelligible, Reunthan and Karska share many cognates and grammar rules, making it much easier for native speakers of Karska to learn Reunthan (and vice versa). The alphabets of the two languages, though they do share many elements, are quite different, especially due to the extra characters and diacritics used in Reunthan. However, the strict rules of Reunthan writing make reading fairly easy to acquire with basic education in the language.
Alphabet
Reunthan uses the Latinic alphabet with a few additions. A phonetic language, each letter in Reunthan makes only one sound, and each sound is represented by exactly one letter. Letters with carons (Ňň, Řř, X̌x̌, Žž, and Ǯǯ) are considered distinct from their caron-less counterparts (Nn, Rr, Xx, Zz, and Ʒʒ, respectively) and make distinct sounds. The same is true for Öö and Øø, which are considered distinct from Oo. Accents on vowels (Áá, Ǽǽ, Éé, Íí, Óó, Ö́ö́, Ǿǿ, Œ́œ́, Úú, Ýý) are used to indicate emphasis placement in multi-syllable words and do not change the sound made by each letter.
letter | ipa | example |
---|---|---|
Aa | ⟨æ⟩ | "a" in bad |
Ææ | ⟨aɪ⟩ | "y" in by |
Dd | ⟨d⟩ | "d" in done |
Ee | ⟨ə⟩ | schwa |
Ff | ⟨f⟩ | "f" in far |
Gg | ⟨ɡ⟩ | "g" in good |
Hh | ⟨h⟩ | "h" in happy |
Ii | ⟨i⟩ | "ee" in meet |
Jj | ⟨j⟩ | "y" in you |
Kk | ⟨k⟩ | "c" in can |
Ll | ⟨l⟩ | "l" in like |
Mm | ⟨m⟩ | "m" in morning |
Nn | ⟨n⟩ | "n" in no |
Ňň | ⟨ɲ⟩ | "ñ" |
Πη | ⟨ŋ⟩ | "ng" in sing |
Oo | ⟨ɑ⟩ | "o" in dot, "au" in aught |
Öö | ⟨o⟩ | "ó" in camión |
Øø | ⟨aʊ⟩ | "ow" in now, "ou" in loud |
Œœ | ⟨oʊ⟩ | "ow" in low |
Rr | ⟨r⟩ | rolled "r" |
Řř | ⟨ɹ⟩ | "r" in run |
Ss | ⟨s⟩ | "s" in so |
ßß | ⟨ʃ⟩ | "sh" in shut |
Tt | ⟨t⟩ | "t" in english |
Ðð | ⟨ð⟩ | "th" in they |
Þþ | ⟨θ⟩ | "th" in think |
Uu | ⟨u⟩ | "oo" in goop |
Vv | ⟨v⟩ | "v" in victory |
Ww | ⟨w⟩ | "w" in water |
Xx | ⟨t͡ʃ⟩ | "ch" in choose |
X̌x̌ | ⟨χ⟩ | Kalmish "ch" in words like "Bach", etc. |
Yy | ⟨eɪ⟩ | "ay" in day |
Zz | ⟨z⟩ | "z" in zebra |
Žž | ⟨d͡z⟩ | "ds" in ends |
Ʒʒ | ⟨ʒ⟩ | "zh", Frankish "j" |
Ǯǯ | ⟨d͡ʒ⟩ | "j" in jaw |
Word Examples
Reunthan | Ingerish | Karska |
---|---|---|
Ánure | United | Fjörnåde |
Böde | Boda/Böde | |
Bøg | Burgh, fortress | |
Bróßxe | Pasture/Meadow | |
Fjerx̌ | Forest (a big one) | |
Kǿre | Kara | Kåra |
Pjoη | Town | Kojpeng |
Řjúnþe | Reuntha | Rjunte |
Řjúnþeř | Reunthan | Rjunter |
Řepúblix̌ | Republic | Repúblikke |
Skøg | Forest/wood | Skog |
Skřö́ʒe | State | Län |
Sořη | Municipality | Kommun |
Stǽfon | Stephen | Stäfan |
Vjǽßte | West | Vest/Västre |
Vjö́teř | River | Älf |
Xöřp | Farm | Torp |
Xul | Hill | Kjulle |
- ↑ The state government fills the role of municipal government and is considered a municipality for statistical purposes.
- ↑ Thanks to Timboh's article on Navenna for the inspiration for this table!
- ↑ The amendment was purely symbolic as the legislature guaranteed the right to same-sex marriage in 2003.