Soptemia

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Federal Republic of Soptemia
ereḉet pujanoṯe soptụm ate
Flag of Soptemia Seal of Soptemia
Flag Seal
soptemia_currentdoot_map
map of subdivisions of soptemia
CapitalCherrin
Largest Obe Anstemen
Official languages Soptenese
Recognised regional languages Alotol
Ethnic groups (2021) Nagemo-Anaklij - 77%
Alotol - 15%,
Suenian - 3%
Avarad - 1%
Shavakhoti - 1%
Other - 3%
Demonym Soptenese
Government Constitutional Theocracy
 -  Minister to the Nation Bẹkẹlen Gelsỉt
 -  President of the Parliament Kylis Vệckoz
Legislature Parliament
Establishment
 -  Union of Anaklua and Naglen 1184 
 -  Independence from Suenyi Empire 14?? 
 -  Soptum Commonwealth established 1822 
 -  Kingdom of Soptemia declared 15 October, 1874 
 -  The Reform 24 February, 1952 
Area
 -  385,071 km2 (52)
148,677 sq mi
Population
 -  2021 estimate 11,790,000
 -  2014 census 10,944,545
 -  Density 30.62/km2
79.3/sq mi
GDP (nominal) 2021 estimate
 -  Total $193,862,970,000
 -  Per capita $16,443
Gini42.8
medium
HDI (2021).795
high
Currency Soptenese Vosom (SPV)
Time zone (SCT+0, +1)
 -  Summer (DST) not observed (SCT)
Antipodes Asura Ocean
Drives on the right
Calling code +43
Internet TLD .sm

Soptemia (Soptenese: soptụm [soptʊm]), officially the Federal Republic of Soptemia, is a country located in eastern Soltenna. It is bordered by Ensia and Suenia to the north, Faichan to the east, Shavakhotia to the south, Girjanzadirw to the west, and the Gelog Sea to the northwest. The heartland of Soptemia lies in valley of the Eba River. Soptemia's two largest cities are both situated in the foothills of the Rolovian Mountains. Soptenese is the most commonly spoken language and represents the furthest western extent of the Ryamaian language family. It is the only official language on a national level, although Suenyi recieves a degree of recognition in some areas. Soptenese society is largely conservative and the overwhelming majority practice Zarasaism. Most of the population lives in central Soptemia, in the area including the delta of the Eba River and the surrounding plains to the south and west. The most important and two largest cities are Cherrin, the capital, and Obe Anstemen, the largest city and financial center. They are located less than 50km from each other. Western Soptemia is less densely populated, and is organized into counties, with greater autonomy than the rest of the nation. Eastern Soptemia is even more sparse, and was scarcely inhabited from the Rameyan Expulsion, until the nineteenth century, but is now home to logging and agriculture.

Etymology

"Soptemia" comes from the proto-Masic 'Säpi' meaning ‘log’.

History

The modern Soptenese people descend from Proto-Masic people who settled in the Eba River valley. Obe Anstemen was founded in the fourth century.

Middle Ages

In the eleventh century, the Sunrise Horde caused the people who would become the Soptenese to migrate into modern-day central Soptemia. From the middle ages the central heartland and Eba River valley was controlled by Obe Anstemen, and was known as Anaklua for the Anaklij people. Obe Anstemen's strategic position surrounded on three sides by lakes and mountains, and close to the Eba River valley, but not in its floodplain made it the most powerful and populous city in the region for over a millenium. In 1184, The Kingdom of Naglen, which was established through the same migration patterns as Anaklua, was merged with Anaklua by Angẹ I in 1184, in an event sometimes considered to be the establishment of Soptemia.

In the fifteenth century, the Suenyi Empire conquered Anaklua and most of Cvadon. After the Suenyi Empire’s breakup, Anaklua took control of the formerly Cvadon-controlled region of Upper Josil. This prompted the first Cvado-Anakluan War, in which Upper Josil region was conquered by Cvadon. The second and third Cvado-Anakluan wars followed, which were largely inconsequential.

Qasamist Zarasaism was brought to Anaklua in the late sixteenth century from Shavakhotia and was quickly established throughout the entire area. Obe Anstemen's Gharam was completed in 1609. In 1615, Anaklua annexed the Ram Empire. In the following decade, the Maithic Inhabitants would be expelled, causing the Rameyan Diaspora.

Early Modern Period

Starting in the eigteenth century, industrialization in other parts of Sahar caused an increase in demand for coal across Miraria. To meet this demand, some Anakluan mining interests began expanding their operations into the then-weak Enlightend Huhjunate of Shavakhotia. Seeing that the entirety of Shavakhotia was about to be conquered by the First Lenezi Empire following the First Vañudeic War in 1797, Those interests in nortern Shavakhotia, preferring not to be governed by Lenezan, petitioned Anaklua to partition Shavakhotia with Lenezan, which Anaklua successfully did.

The T'Asit Region, despite being seperated from the rest of Anaklua by mountains, was incorporated into the existing provinces of Nogulan and Dothien. Outside of coal mining, economic opportunities were sparse, and many people migrated to Shavakhotia. To fulfill the large need for labor, mine owners used slavery. While enslavement of an otherwise free person had long been illegal, the importations of those who were already enslaved was a legal grey area. Slaves mostly came from Vlmemosh and Faichan. The government in Obe Anstemen turned a blind eye to this practice until the 1870s, when pressure from The Charter prompted a crackdown. Economic conditions were still far from good, with the mines holding a virtual monoposony on labor. Even before Shavakhotia became independent, there was strong dissent to Soptenese rule in the region.

After the 1820 breakup of the Alotol Confederacy and the ensuing power vacuum, Soptemia reached its furthest western extent. During this time, the association of the states in the west and Anaklua was codified in the Soptum Commonwealth, a pact of confederation containing Anaklua, Sobey, Cada, Cvadon and Limisti. It would also later include Upper Josil and Sfeilrub, after they split form Cvadon and Cada, respectively.

Industrialization started in Anaklua in the early nineteenth century. With Anaklua’s conquest of the T’Asit region, It gained access to large amounts of coal deposits to export to the already-industrializing Lenezi Empire and Vosan. The Interrolvian Railway opened in 1840, connecting Tuoxkaheten with Arasa in the Lenezi Empire. From there, Coal and other goods could be transported by sea. This connection was severed, during the Pavo-Vos Coal War, when the Lenezi Empire blocked exports of coal to Vosan.

Starting in the mid 1840s, industrialization came to the Josil River valley. In Cvadon, the government was seen by many as corrupt and pandering to industrial interests from Limisti and Obe Anstemen. In 1846, Some local landholders staged a coup in Cvadon and took control of its government, and they banned all new mills and factories This led to the Cvadon conflict, sometimes refered to as the fourth Cvado-Anakluan war. Militias from Limisti and Anaklua occupied areas of Cvadon in order to protect the investments of people from those counties. The terms of the Soptum Commonwealth prohibited its members from engaging with each other in conflict. Not wanting to be seen as illegitimate, the government of Cvadon ceded much of the land on its extremities instead of fighting. Landholders in the south of Cvadon, with assistance from Anakula, took that opportunity to secure the independence of Upper Josil within the Soptum Confederacy. Anakluan Militias continued to incur into Cvadon, resulting in some skirmishes, until they met the banks of the Josil River, cutting off Cvadon from the coast. In 1849, Cvadon’s government was deposed again, and some but not all territory was ceded back.

During this period, large-scale agriculture, for the first time, took place in the east. This fueled a massive increase in population across Soptemia. Cherrin was established at a crossroads, and saw a period of rapid growth that sped up during the early industrialization. Cherrin quickly became the largest and most important city in the region, even more so than Obe Anstemen, which was on the decline, as its defensive position was not as well suited to be a beacon of commerce like Cherrin was. In 1859, Obe Anstemen burned down, the Great Gharam remained, but most of the rest of the city was abandoned. The capital was moved to Cherrin. This move was meant to be temporary but it never moved back.

Kingdom of Soptemia

The Soptum Commonwealth lasted until, in 1874, in order to strengthen the nation, the first King and minister to the nation, Bẹmogid Agẹdaz I, was crowned by the elect of high clergy, and the kingdom of Soptemia was declared. What followed was an era of stagnation under Zarasaist fundamentalism. One of the only major accomplishments of this era was the reconstruction of Obe Anstemen.

Things changed in 1911, with major reforms that relaxed the era's strict policies were enacted. Even more reforms were made after 1921 when Fydogaq Ẹadaz became King and Minister to the Nation. The railroad network, which was primarily built between 1845 and 1875, began to be expanded again.

In 1917, Shavakhotia invaded the Avarad region, launching the West Rolovian War, which resulted in Soptemia losing some but not all of the territiory that was gained in 1797.

The leaders of Soptemia, the clergy, and Ẹadaz considered Kuulism to be a dangerous idea and incompatible with Zarasaism. In 1925, after revoltions in Faichan and Vlmemosh, Soptemia signed the Name-as-yet-to-be-determined pact with Vosan, which promised that Vosan would intervene in any aggression against Soptemia from Faichan or Vlmemosh, on the conditions that Soptemia would support Vosan militarily, if a war occurs time of war.

Faichani Civil War Involvement

In 1933, Soptemia negotiated an agreement with Quaycain to purchase arms, including tanks, and bolster trade relations. This alarmed many in the Transrolovian Communes that Soptemia might intervine in the ongoing Faichani civil war. In 1935 an attempted coup took place. In March 1935, perpetrators infiltrated the Ministry of National Security and the National House, and attempted to arrest Fydogaq Ẹadaz and the Highest-ranking general, Lẹmon Vyted. Ẹadaz was not captured, on account of him being away at the time. Vyted was taken hostage, but was voluntarily released, and all perpetrators were arrested within 16 hours of the incident. The extent to which the Transrolovian Communes was allegedly involved is controversial. At least one perpetrator confessed to taking orders from the Transrolovian Communes, but no Faichani nationals were implicated. This caused Soptemia to invade Faichan, and purchase more arms and training from Quaycain. The invasion lasted until 1938, when the invasion became untenable, and Soptemia withdrew and declared neutrality.

Pangyeoun war stuff, or not

Crisis of Succession

On September 7th 1950, the Fydogaq Ẹadaz died from a stroke without heir. This launched Soptemia into the Soptenese Crisis of Succession which lasted until 1952.

Riots in Dease

On February 1st, 1952 the elect of high clergy finally met in Obe Anstemen, not only to select a new minister to the nation, but to prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again.

What they came up with, on February 24th, was The Reform, a series of changes that affected not only government, but was to modernize all walks of life in Soptemia, as well as eliminating the title of king, and making the Minister to the Nation a non-hereditary position. Bụḉỷntụsi Kẹnỏ, a young priest, was selected as Minister to the Nation. Soptemia became a democracy for the first time, as a parliament was added. An addendum to this was added to this in March of 1958, clarifying the details and resolving small conflicts and loopholes that existed in the original. These two documents now make up the constitution of Soptemia.

Modern Times

In 1961, Soptemia purchased land to the east of the Eba River from Faichan. This was the most recent change in Soptemia’s borders. In the purchased land, The Fỏjạn dam was constructed there from 1964, being completed in 1969. At the time, it was one of the world’s largest dams. This finally put an end to the seasonal flooding in the Eba river delta. It also created lake Fỏjạn, and Fỏjạn City was established on its shore. The new land was incorporated with a slice of the province of Ramiss into the province of Fỏjạn. In 1975, the dam was renamed to the Ẹadaz dam.

During the Second half of the twentieth century, Soptemia faced much unrest caused by both Pan-Masic nationalist groups and Mashinic separatists. During this time, the then-conservative government’s strategy was to brew sentiments of anger between Pan-Masic and Mashinic groups in order to protect the public as a whole from violence. The violence was greatest in West Kankur, where both Pan-Masic and Mashinic groups were both organized and active, and local law enforcement did not have the capacity to deal with those groups. Despite this violence, the government chose to maintain the status quo, reasoning that the violence between Pan-Masics and Mashinics was a sign of the system working , and that, soon, they would burn each other out. In 1980, the Battle of Surisẹn, a clash between Pan-Masics and Mashinics in West Kankur occurred, in which over 1000 died. In the following 1982 election, the conservative government was ousted, and the new government took a stronger stance against armed groups. This, combined with the economic boom of the mid-1980s, caused the violence to decrease drastically.

In 1999, construction of a tunnel to bypass the Tohkohimo Pass caused an avalanche that hit the city of Tohkomen, and its chemical plant, causing a chemical spillage that took until 2007 to fully clean up. This was the most deadly accident in modern Soptenese history, with the avalanche and immediate chemical spillage killing over 200, and hundreds more dying from the chronic effects of the chemicals. The tunnel finally opened in 2019, 14 years behind schedule.

In 2014, Bụḉỷntụsi Kẹnỏ died of old age, and was replaced by Bẹkẹlen Gelsỉt.

Geography

The highest point in Soptemia is Mount Rah, located in the Rolovian mountain range, at 3,777m (12,392ft). The lowest point is at sea level.

Geology

Climate

Soptemia has a Humid Continental Climate.

The highest temperature recorded in Soptemia was in 2001, when temperatures in Nyax Creek, Ramiss reached 42.7 °C (108.8 °F). The lowest temperature was recorded in 1961 in X, when the temperature reached -44.5 °C (-48.1 °F).

Biodiversity

Politics

Government

Currently there are fourteen political parties that hold seats in the parliament.

Composition of the Parliament as of 2023
Soptemia political.png
  CPC: 86 seats
  Liberal Party: 61 seats
  National Alotol Party: 27 seats
  Party of the Protection of the Law: 35 seats
  Libretarian Party: 31 seats
  Democratic Union Party: 21 seats
  Natural Party: 24 seats
  Labor Party: 16 seats
  Federalist Party: 10 seats
  People's Party: 3 seats
  MPPS: 1 seat
  Kuulist Party: 1 seat
  Political Party: 1 seat
  Racist Party: 1 seat
  Independent: 6 seats

The head of state in Soptemia is the minister to the nation. The final say on everything ultimately goes through him. He is chosen by the elect of high clergy, who pick a priest to become minister to the nation. It has become an unofficial policy to not choose anyone less than fifty years old. The clergy also act as the national court, settling arguments about whether actions are in line with the constitution, and how far the powers of other parts of the government extend.

The parliament is the main democratic body. It consists of 324 members. 108 of them are elected at-large across the nation, using a single transferable vote system. The other 216 are elected by the provinces and counties. They are apportioned based on population to each province or county. In all provinces and most counties, they are elected by a single transferable vote within the county. Technically, counties can choose how to pick their members of parliament however they please. However, most use the same system as the provinces. Sobyumin and Cvadon elect their members based on geographical regions within the county. Elections for members of parliament at-large and in provinces take place every four years. The terms of members of parliament in the counties are determined by the counties themselves, and range from two to eight years.

The Current president of the parliament is Kylis Vệckoz.

The head of parliament is the president of the parliament. They are a member of the parliament that is elected by the parliament to host the parliament, schedule votes, and be the master of ceremonies. All of their actions must be in good faith and unbiased, as enforced by the clergy. Unlike in many parliaments, a coalition government need not be formed in order for a president of the parliament to be elected, or for anything to get done. The president of the parliament is often the face of the nation abroad, despite their powers not going far beyond a normal member of parliament. The Current president of the parliament is Kylis Vệckoz, a member of the CPC Party.

The final part of the national government is the ministries. These play a far greater role in Soptenese politics than in most countries. They are as follows:

  • Ministry of Revenue
  • Ministry of Transportation
  • Ministry of Religious Affairs
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Ministry of Education
  • Ministry of National Security
  • Ministry of the Land

By far the largest of these is the ministry of revenue, which manages taxes, banking, fiscal policy, labor relations and more.

Each ministry consists of a three-member board which gets the final say over all of its actions. Of the three members, one is appointed by the Minister to the nation, one is appointed by the parliament, and one is directly elected by the people. The elected minister has a term of two years, but no term limit, while the other two ministers can be replaced by their appointers at any time, but can also serve indefinitely.

The previous census year was 2018 and the next is 2022. The election of members of parliament occurs continuously, with different members being up for election at different times. An election for members of parliament typically occurs every four months, with either one province’s members being up for reelection. These elections can occur more frequently, as there are fourteen counties. Provinces choose the dates of their election at their own discretion. Ministers are elected continuously in a similar manner. The 108 at-large members of parliament are elected every four years, and every other election year matches up with a census year.

When a new minister to the nation is chosen, the clock for both census and elections is reset to begin in the month of ascent of the new minister to the nation, and a new census and election happens immediately. When an election year coincides with a census, sometimes members will have to be unseated following a change in distribution of seats after the census data comes out, a few months after the election. From 1958-2014, elections and censuses took place in March of years starting in 1958. In December 2014, after Bẹkẹlen Gelsỉt ascended, the second election and census of that year took place.

Administrative divisions

Soptemia divnames.png

Soptemia is divided into 22 administrative divisions. These include eight counties and fourteen provinces. While they have equal power within the national government, counties have a greater degree of domestic autonomy, and are allowed to do things such as have their own official languages alongside Soptenese, and choose how to pick their members of parliament. Obe Anstemen, while being a province and not a county, has some of the powers that a county has. The most populous county is Obe Anstemen with 2,141,492 people living there per the 2014 census. The least populous is Cape Yerlan with 16,035 residents.

Foreign relations

Soptemia is a member of the International Congress, The Charter, and the Soltennan Council. While not a member of the GTO, Soptemia does mantain special relationships with many of its members.

Military

Soptemia is not now, nor has it ever been known for being a great military power. The size of the military peaked during the Pangyeoun War. During the Faichani Civil War and the Pangyeoun War, Soptemia made up for its diminutive army and navy with its more advanced air force. While Soptemia has generally imported its military equipment, planes were built domestically during that period, both for export and use of the Soptenese air force. In the modern day, Soptemia has one of the smallest militaries in Miraria.

The Soptenese military is headquartered in Cherrin, in a building adjacent to the Parliament building. The building is colloquially called “kaveḉẻrunva” “Power Station”, because of its unadorned brick walls with few windows. The two largest and most important military installations are Fort Balaca, near the mouth of the Eba River, which is the main base of the navy, and Fort Tsoedon, which is home to the most important military airfield.

The Soptenese military has a simple command structure in which each rung of leadership is responsible for a relatively large number of subordinates. This has the effect that lower ranking officers in the Soptenese military have more agency than officers of similar rank in other militaries. Though the Air Force, Army and Navy are operationally separate, they fall under the same command structure.

The Soptenese military is known for its continued use of old equipment. Much of the infrastructure and logistical equipment still in use dates from the Pangyeoun War. Most of Soptemia’s weapons and vehicles currently in use were purchased secondhand from other Charter members. More recently, Soptemia has invested in purchasing more modern weapons systems from its allies. Soptemia has never had mandatory conscription, except in 1937-38 during Soptemia’s involvement in the Faichani Civil War, when it proved to be highly unpopular.

Economy

The Reblitận Corporation produced the popular RBS-1001 airliner until 2013

Soptemia’s primary exports are agricultural, with the largest by far being wheat. Beef, dairy, venison and cranberries also make up significant agricultural exports. Other major raw exports include timber and copper.

The Akalist calendar is the primary calendar used in Soptemia.

Soptemia currently spans two time zones. Most of the nation is in SCT+1, while the counties of Sobey, Sobyumin, Cada, and Sfeilrub use SCT+0. After The Reform gave the counties the power to set their own time zones, most changed to SCT+0, to be closer to neighboring Grijanzadirw and have 12:00 more closely match solar noon. In 1964, it was decided to standardize the entire nation to SCT+1. This policy proved to be contreversial, and it was reversed in 1990, leaving the current situation. The debate still goes on. The ruling CPC party has recently stated its intentions of standardizing Soptemia to a single time zone once again. Some have suggested standardizing to SCT+0 or even SCT+0.5. It has been proposed that Soptemia uses SCT+0 for part of the year, and switch to SCT+1 for the rest, but that proposal has been rejected for being extremely impractical.

From the 1910s, Soptemia was home to a modest heavy manufacturing sector. It started to decline during the Shavakhotian Civil War, due to the increased difficulty in importing and exporting during that time. Afterwards it never fully recovered. The state-supported nature of manufacturing in other Charter countries, as well as Soptemia's higher cost of labor at the time lead to the near-extinction of heavy manufacturing by 2010.

Transport

Soptemia is the base of operations for Air Klinkal. Air Klinkal operates flights all across Miraria, primarily focusing on transporting passengers between Soltenna and Parshita and Vaniua, with some routes going as far as Alpa. Its primary base is at Cherrin-Sanklij International Airport, with a secondary base at the smaller Obe Anstemen International Airport. In recent years, low-cost carrier XXX has set up a hub in Cherrin as well.

Central Soptemia is connected by a system of railways. The system extends both east and west in a limited form, with the only electrified sections being in the center. The system is primarily privatized. In places not served well by the railways, air travel remains the most popular option. Of the long distance services that do exist, most are run by the state-owned railway pukeka ereḉet pujanoṯe soptụm ate (PEPSA), which is formed of railways that the federal government bought when they were not profitable. PEPSA also operates most international trains, and some commuter trains.

Map of the ỏtảvạtạ system
Highway 400 at its terminus in Selydoz

In addition to the railways, Soptemia is connected by a system of highways. All major roads are marked by a two to four digit number. The exception to this is the limited-access freeway system that spans the country known collectively as the ỏtảvạtạ system. The system was begun in 1957 and completed as planned in 2000. Roads in the ỏtảvạtạ system are numbered S0-S9. The busiest of these is S0, which runs north-south between the border with X in Zankli and near to the coast West Delta, passing between Obe Anstemen and Cherrin. Highways that are considered to be of great national importance, but that are not part of the ỏtảvạtạ system are given a number ending in -00.

Most Highways in Soptemia, including the entirety of the ỏtảvạtạ system, are toll roads. Some less important roads only charge tolls to trucks. Bicycles are, as a national policy, allowed passage without tolls, but motorbikes are not.

Soptemia has and has had some of the strictest automotive safety laws in the world. This was allegedly as a result of Fydogaq Ẹadaz's cat getting hit by a car, but this is considered by many to be an apocryphal tale. As a result, until the 1960s, most families could not afford cars. Five cities in Soptemia have heavy-rail metro systems. These are Cherrin (1912), Obe Anstemen (1960), Fỏjạn City (1966), Dease (1980) and Sobey (2003). Additionally, systems are under construction in two cities.

Energy

Ẹadaz Dam

Soptemia has some of the greatest water and electricity security of any nation in the world. Since 1969, the Ẹadaz Dam has provided for most of Soptemia’s electrical demand. Nowadays, it supplies just over sixty percent. The rest comes from either nuclear, or imported sources. Most of Soptemia’s water comes from either the Ẹadaz Dam and the Eba River, or from the Rolovian Mountains.

Science and technology

Tourism

Soptemia is home to a medium-sized tourism industry. Obe Anstemen is a well visited city. Soptemia is home to a thriving winter sports industry in the Rolovian mountains. Other attractions include several natural parks in the west, including X, which contains the X temperate rainforest, unique in the region. Many also visit the Ẹadaz Dam and the Universe of Amazement resort, a massive amusement park and resort complex located in Zanklij. Soptemia is also home to world-renowned roller coaster manufacturing firm Mạlaqyr & Babylạrựd.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Soptemia’s primary ethnic group is the Nagemo-Anaklij people. Additionally, Soptemia is home to a large Alotol minority, as well as smaller Suenyi and Vanoshan minorities.

Urbanisation

Obe Anstemen

Obe Anstemen is the most populous city in Soptemia. It is situated in the foothills of the Rolovian Mountains. It is surrounded on three sides by Lakes and hills, making it incredibly defensible. From Its burning in 1859 until The Reform, Obe Anstemen was a husk of its former self. Despite its rebuilding during the Kingdom of Soptemia, Its population did not sniff Cherrin’s. This was until The Reform gave Obe Anstemen the authority to decide some of its tax policy, and eliminated most import duty and tariffs. Obe Anstemen became a financial hub and began to grow rapidly. In 1960, the first part of Obe Anstemen’s privately-funded metro system opened.

Obe Anstemen features a concentration of Skyscrapers surrounding Tysụnta Square, a large block with an urban park in the center, which lies at the center of Obe Anstemen, and the financial industry. It is also the location of the Gharam of Obe Anstemen. Density decreases rapidly outside of the center. Just to the north of Tysụnta Square is Obe Anstemen International Airport. It was established in 1924 on formerly-industrial land. Today, it is capacity-constrained, as it only has one runway. Much of the north and east of Obe Anstemen is covered by non-distinct neighborhoods. To the southeast lies a massive urban park.

Cherrin

Cherrin is located 40km east of Obe Anstemen. The city is centered around a clock tower, which has become an icon for the city. The parliament and the ministerial epicenter are located adjacent to each other. After an attempted assasination of minister to the nation Bụḉỷntụsi Kẹnỏ in 1989, security was ramped up massively. The ministerial epicenter is now considered one of the most secure buildings in the world. Since 1990, there has been only one unauthorized entry. Much of Cherrin is characterized by rowhouses and narrow streets. Cherrin’s metro system is the most extensive in the nation with five lines and over eighty stations.

Language

Soptenese Is the most commonly spoken language.

Education

Education in Soptemia typically starts at the age of five. Students attend half-day school until the age of nine, when they attend for the full day, and do so until adulthood. Schools are not separated into small subdivisions of age groups, and students of all ages attend the same schools.

Chasa Academy

College educations are relatively uncommon, even among professionals, and most who get college educations do so outside of Soptemia. The largest college in Soptemia is Chasa Academy, which is the only major institution of higher education in the nation.

Healthcare

Soptemia has a heavily regulated, privately run healthcare system. Health insurance is common, but it is by no means necessary or universal, as the cost of healthcare is not extremely high. Many insurance providers also deny service to unhealthy people. In 2007, Soptemia introduced what is called the “obesity tax”, which penalizes people with higher taxes for being fat. Additionally, tax incentives now exist for any male who can run 5 long plots (1649 meters) in under seven minutes. Doing this is now a mandatory part of a Soptenese education.

Religion

Religion in Soptemia

The most commonly practiced religion, and the state religion is Qasamist Zarasaism.

Culture

Heritage

Architecture

The most common building material is wood. Traditional Soptenese dwellings consist of a rectangular timber structure with a pitched roof, oriented north-south to catch the wind coming off of the mountains or ocean in the summer. Large families may live among several of these buildings, either attached, or located nearby to each other. More wealthy individuals have traditionally lived in stone or masonry structures. More recently, multi-story structures have become more common.

Literature

The poet and playwright Ṯemad is considered to be the father of the Soptenese language and Soptenese Literature. In 1615, he wrote The Eastern Matter, which is considered to be the first literary work in modern Soptenese.

Art

Music

Theatre

Soptemia is home to Masic Theatre culture, which is thought to have evolved from pre-Zarasaist religious dance.

Film

Cuisine

Soptenese cuisine consists mainly of wheat and increasingly corn based dishes. One popular native dish is kribesa, which consists of flat piece of bread cooked with creamed corn, ground beef, and other vegetables on top of it. Cheese is also sometimes included. Despite being located on the ocean, fish is not a major part of a traditional Soptenese diet.

Sport

The most popular sports in Soptemia are Football, Athletics and Fumberu, a native-to-Soptemia ball sport, which has caught on in some neighboring counties, and in limited amounts around the world. Soptemia is headquarters of the World Fumberu Competitive Association, which hosts over 1000 teams, both Amateur and professional. The most famous and recognizable of these is the Cherrin Domestic Cats. Soptemia is a member of SIFA.

Symbols

A sesạmỏse Is a type of headwear worn in Soptemia. It was originally worn at religious events, but now it is used in a wide variety of patriotic circumstances, and its use in religious settings has diminished. Historically, they were red, or less commonly, green, and were made of leather, metal, or cloth and wire. In the modern day, most are made of plastic, and they are available in a wide variety of colors, though red is still the most popular.

See also