Argata

Argata (𐐂𐐖𐐥𐐂𐐋𐐂, Ar̊gata), officially the Union of Argata is a nation in Northern Avalonia. Argata has a population of 65,861,112 and a total land area of 272,125 square kilometers (105,068 square miles). Argata is dominated by two climate zones, and. The climate in Argata is characterized by significant variation between the seasons, with hot summers and cold winters. As a result of the warmer climate, Argata's population is denser in the south of the country.

Argata is a, with a monarch as the head of state and the prime minister as head of government. The federal legislature of Argata is, split between an upper house, the Senate, and a lower house, the House of Deputies. Argata is subdivided into provinces with significant powers delegated to them by the national government. The capital and largest city of the country is Asprad.

Argata has existed as a nation in some form since the 14th century, when a number of tribes in the region united to form the Arga Confederation. This confederation of tribes, led by the Royal House of Soktsek, led numerous wars of conquest in the region, assimilating lesser tribes and building their power. In the 17th century, Argata allied with the Samot-Seratofian Empire to fight against their neighbor to the west, Badzevalari. Upon their victory in the war, Argata pursued an alliance with Samot-Seratof, eventually becoming a de facto colony of the empire. In 1872, Argata would gain independence as a dominion of Samot-Seratof, and upon the empire's collapse in 1925, Argata would become completely independent. From then on, Argata pursued a policy of neutrality, opting to resolve foreign affairs through diplomatic means.

Argata is a, characterized by above-average financial freedoms. The Argan economy is highly advanced and diverse, dominated by a strong. Some of Argata's largest industries include x, y, and z. Argata is considered a and scores high on rankings of human development and personal freedom.

Early History
Argata has been consistenly inhabited by indigenous peoples for millenia, with the first recorded evidence of human activity being dated to 15,000 BCE. Prior to Artemian discovery of Argata, the area was the home of numerous native tribes and nations. The first incarnation of the Argan state began in 1371, with the formation of the Arga Confederation. A coalition of 13 tribes in the region would unite to form the confederation, in order to protect their interests and to ward off other, larger nations. The Confederation would expand across what is now Argata through the centuries, with the climax of their power occurring in the 1580s.

The Arga Confederation was a highly advanced society in comparison with its neighbors, having been responsible for numerous scientific and technological developments. Argan society was forward-thinking, but at the same time valued tradition, and was on average more conservative than its neighbors. Each tribe which joined the confederation would be allowed significant autonomy, and at times the nation could be described more as an alliance than an actual country. The nation would be led by a single royal family, the Soktsek, for the entirety of its history.

Colonial History
In the 17th century, Argata explored by several Artemian nations, most notably the Samot-Seratofian Empire. At this time, Argata had been fighting a brutal war against Badzevalan conquest, and because of this, Argata allied with Samot-Seratof to defend their nation against conquest. With this assistance, Argata managed to successfully defend itself, and Samot-Seratof soon moved into the region and occupied it as a colony. Argata, as a result of this, was also brought under the Samot-Seratofian sphere of influence, through a voluntary agreement with Samot-Seratof. Knowing that the nation would be in danger of colonization if this deal was refused, the Argan government elected to enter into a "mutual union" with Samot-Seratof. Argata's royal family would remain in power, but the country's government would be subject to a large amount of influence from their colonizers. In practice, Argata was a client state.

Argata remained a de facto colony of the Samot-Seratofian Empire for several centuries. Its location as an important gateway into the Brigantic Gulf made it a valuable asset to the Empire, and to let it slip away from their control would constitute a crucial loss in the region. However, as colonial control in Avalonia began to wane in the 19th century, it became much more difficult to assert control in the region. In 1872, Argata would gain nominal independence along with Badzevalari, with a high level of autonomy being granted to both nations, even though Argata technically had the status of a dominion. Argata's first prime minister, x, took office in January of 1873, and many consider this date the start of Argata as a nation.

Independence
Upon independence, Argata would maintain cordial relations with the Samot-Seratofian Empire, but the nation's government would act almost completely independently of the Empire's. Upon Samot-Seratof's entrance into the Grand Campaigns in 1918, Argata remained hesitant to get involved, but under pressure from the imperial government, they eventually sent troops to assist in the fighting in Artemia. After the war ended in 1925, Argata found itself on the losing side, as Samot-Seratof collapsed and Argata was forced to pay war debts. However, due to the collapse of their suzerain, Argata now had full control over both domestic and foreign affairs.

Argata kept a policy of neutrality through the rest of the 20th century. With their newfound freedom, the Argan government also began a campaign to advance the economy, relaxing business laws and strengthening industry through subsidization. The economy would see rapid growth as a result, and the Argan economy would begin expanding into newly-created industries, such as aviation and automobile manufacturing. Argata would become a center of manufacturing in Avalonia, and the nation's GDP growth would peak in 1965 at 8.1%. However, the newfound economic growth did have consequences. Inequality in the country skyrocketed at the same time as this economic prosperity, and blue-collar workers would suffer the most as a result.

Geography
Argata is located in Northern Avalonia, on the Brigantic Sea. It shares a single land border in the west with Badzevalari. Argata is 272,125 square kilometers (105,068 square miles) in size, comparatively small when looking at other nations in the region. Two main climate zones encompass the country: humid continental and humid subtropical. The climate in Argata is characterized by hot summers and cool to cold winters. Argata does not have much variation in altitude. Being located on a divergent fault line, there are no mountain ranges in the country, and the highest point in the country is just n meters above sea level.

The humid subtropical portion of Argata is located in the south of the country, and is home to flatter terrain than the rest of the country, hence why farming is more concentrated in the south. South Argata does sometimes receive snowfall during the winter, however it is usually less than three inches. North Argata is characterized by a humid continental climate, which makes it more prone to cold weather and snowfall in winter. This region also experiences great variation in annual temperatures, with the temperature during the summer often reaching above 25° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit). Meanwhile, in the winter, temperatures are known to drop below freezing, and snowfall is an annual occurence.

Government
According to the Argan Constitution, Argata is a constitutional monarchy, operating under a system of, with power divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The highest executive authority in the nation is the monarch, who is considered the the head of state. Although the monarch has almost no governmental power, they are often considered to be the face of the country. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral parliament, split between the Senate and the House of Deputies. Parliament is headed by a prime minister, who manages the legislative affairs of the country. Members of the Senate are representatives of their home province, elected every two years. Members of the House of Deputies represent a given electoral district, and are also elected in two-year cycles. Members of both houses are limited to five terms in office.

Argata is a federal nation, divided into x provices. The provinces of Argata each have their own government, which operates similarly to the federal government. Executive power at the province level is vested in a premier, and the provincial legislatures operate almost identically to their federal counterpart. Elections occur on a province-by-province basis, so there is no set date on which all provincial elections take place.

Argata is functionally a, with the two main political parties in the country being the Royalist Party and the Liberal Party. The Royalist Party platform is largely conservative and laissez-faire, including support for the monarchy, free-market economic policies, and traditional values. The Liberal Party, on the other hand, supports liberal policies such as government intervention and social welfare. The Liberal Party does not oppose the monarchy, but at the same time does not express outward support for it like the Royalist Party. There are several smaller parties that regularly obtain seats in the Parliament, but only the aforementioned main parties have ever gained a majority in either house.

Military
Argata's military is known as the Royal Argan Forces, and consists of four branches: The Argan Army, Argan Navy, Argan Air Force, and the Royal Gendarmerie. Argata practices a strict policy of, with every male aged 18 or older having to serve at least 150 days in the RAF. The Argan military consists of approximately 244,000 active-duty troops, and because of conscription, has a formidable reserve force, amounting to about 1,300,000 troops, or almost 2% of the country's population.

Economy
Argata is an advanced nation with a highly diversified economy. The Argan GDP(PPP) was estimated to be $3.225 trillion in 2020, making it the 5th richest country in Avalonia, behind Kaya, Zahava, Chezzetcook, and Tavaluda. Historically, Argata's economy relied heavily on manufacturing, which in turn originated from Argata's position as one of the largest shipbuilders on the continent. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, The Argan tradition of shipbuilding morphed into the production of dozens of other manufactured goods, eventually peaking as one of the largest exporters in the world in the early 1900s. As the century progressed, however, the Argan economy was soon eclipsed by other world powers. Currently, the Argan economy is dominated by the service sector, comprising 71.5% of Argata's annual GDP, followed by the industrial sector at 27.7% and the agricultural sector at 0.8%. Argata is classified as a, with the nation's per capita GDP(PPP) being $48,965 as of 2020.

Demographics
With a population of 65,861,112, Argata is a densely-populated nation. The population density is 215.23 people per square kilometer (557.4 per square mile). Argata's largest city is Asprad, with an estimated population of 5,270,000, or about 9% of the country's total population.

The majority of Argata's population are of Argan ethnicity, approximately 80.3% of the population. The second largest group in the nation are Seratofians, who are 8.9% of the population, owing to Seratof's colonization of the region in the 17th century. Numerous differnt immigrant groups also have significant populations in Argata, most of which are concentrated in the nation's urban areas.

Most Argans practice Zovatêle, which spread from Tavaluda into the area which is now Argata as far back as the 7th century. Zovatêle is practiced at some level by an estimated 68% of the Argan population. The second largest religion is, practiced by a further 7% of the population. Atheists and agnostics compose approximately 20% of Argata's population.