Jungastia

The Jungastian State (: Estado Jungastiana, ⵡⵏⴻⴽ ⵏ ⴶⵓⵑⴰⵙⵜⵉ lit. State of Jungastia) commonly referred to as Jungastia is a   located in Anterra. Jungastia is the xx largest country at 1,255,700km².

It is the northernmost sovereign state of Kesh. It is bordered to the west by the Iapetus Ocean and to the north and east by the Eurybian Sea, as well as a southern border with the Ashuran Tribes.

History
Jungastia is one of the oldest states in Kesh, with most of the territory being continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. Jungastia can trace its history back to nomadic peoples who formed rudimentary states across the peninsula. It was these Berber peoples who began to form the basis of a series of trading states in the early XX period. The First recorded use of the term Jungastia to refer to the land is recorded in 820AD with the consolidation of power by Artemian peoples who had crossed the straits through what is now Albel. The Expulsion of the Berbers southwards to form an Artemian dominated society along the northern coasts and islands had be completed almost by the use of the term Jungastia - taken from the local name for the protected bay that the now capital Santo André lies on - in contemporary sources. The Final push southwards to contemporary borders and the domination of Portuguese speakers in the region had been all but achieved by the first appearances of a united Jungastia on the XX map by XX in 1120 and the declaration of the Kingdom of Jungastia by Sebastião in 1128.

From the declaration of the kingdom, Jungastia rapidly developed owing to fertile northern lands, sheltered ports and abundant fishing fields. It was in these early years that the royal court developed in Santo André and the beginnings of modern statehood was established.

In 1292, Jungastia formed its first alliance with Agrana y Greigro, broken in 1320 over the Island Wars, the alliance was re-formed in 1347, and remains extant even today, making it the longest continual alliance in Anterran History.

In 1359 Jungastia, unlike Artemia, escaped widespread devastation from the Black Death, and played refuge to noble families seeking to avoid plague infected cities.

In the 15th and 16th Centuries, Jungastia embarked on colonial expeditions across the world, rapidly establishing trade ports and land in key positions around the globe and becoming a major economic, cultural and military power. During the Age of Discovery, Fernando I outlined the colonial policy that would underpin the entire empire up until its dissolution in 1982. Jungastia was to favour strategic points, strategic land, and avoid spreaing over vast territory. He also negotiated the Treaty of XX with Agrana y Greigro that divided colonial regions, and recognised each others colonial territory, leading to a prolonged period of mutual prosperity. Jungastia quickly monopolised the trade in rubber, coffee, and cocoa, through its colonies in Avalonia.

By the time the 1650s rolled around, Jungastia had stabilised its colonial possessions, and began its consolidation of power in Albaterra. The State domestically focussed on its agricultural development, as well as transitioning from its hostility to the Berber peoples in the south towards a more tolerant position.

Geography
Jungastia is located on the Northwestern corner of the Keshian continent, in a strategically important location on the Bonaventure Straits between the Iapetus Ocean in the west and the Eurybian Sea in the east. It shares its only land borders with X to the south.

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Baía Azul itself is one of the largest natural bays in Maredoratica at 28,325 square kilometres (10,936 square miles). It has been of strategic importance to both Jungastia for centuries, as it has provided the country with a large, deep natural waterway protected from storms. This has meant that the vast majority of the commercial activity in both countries has been around this bay, with the largest ports in Jungastia and Gereland located on the bay. Two island groups are located in the bay; the Santa Cruz Islands in the north and the Almeria Islands in the south. Both of these island groups are moderately populated and are known for their famous high diving cliffs and secluded beaches.

The Serra Real in the central part of Jungastia is the most prominent geographical feature of the nation. A number of important cities lie within the foothills and wide valleys formed by the Serra Real and its neighboring massifs; the Maciço Branco in the northwest and the Maciço de as Dois Coroas in the south. The highest mountains in Jungastia can be found in the Serra Real, with [[Monte

Islands
There are 42 islands in Jungastia divided between eight island groups.

Politics
Since the Jungastian Transition to Democracy in 1982, the country has been a constitutional monarchy according to the constitution of 1984.

The Government is headed by the State Premier (currently Altaïr Benjamim Sapateiro) who is approved by the unicameral Congresso Nacional. The Court system works through numerous levels, culminating in the Supreme Court, who functions both as a court of final appeal, and as a constitutional court.

Jungastia has a multi-party system of governance, that is unitary, with proposed devolution for certain regions. The electoral threshold is very low in comparison to other countries, at just 0.5% resulting in many parties, and large coalitions in Congress. Since the overthrow of the dictatorship in 1982, coalitions of left and centre-left have predominated, with two grand coalitions after the first two free elections both prior to and under the new constitution. Since 1995 voting has been compulsory with significant fines and social penalties for failing to do so without good reason.

The Constitution is one of the most detailed in the whole of Anterra laying out rights and responsibilities in intense detail. Having been written in the 1980s, it is hugely liberal, guaranteeing numerous rights that are not presented in other constitutions. The constitution, however is not a rigid document, and can be amended by supermajority, or a qualified majority in a referendum. The latter is rarely used, as the political system is predominantly representative. Jungastian politics can often be labelled Consociationalist, owing to the large number of parties in the Congresso Nacional, and the almost total impossibility of a single party achieving an outright majority and the need for large multi-party coalitions.

Monarchy
Jungastia is a, and the Royal house- Placeholder have held the Jungastian crown since the 18th Century. The Current Monarch is Agostinho III.

Constitutionally the monarch has exceptionally limited powers. However the monarch is required to be briefed by ministers on a weekly basis, and can be consulted at ministerial discretion. This can lead, when personalities and relationships are positively aligned, to the monarch wielding more influence than laid down in the constitution.

Parliament
The Congresso Nacional is a unicameral body with 847 members - termed Delegados or Delegates, are elected every four years. Jungastia has compulsory voting, and all citizens over the age of 16 can vote - with voting being compulsory for citizens aged 18-70.

Elections are held at any point in the fourth year following the previous election. Citizens vote in regional multi-member constituencies, where representation reflects population of said region. Seat distribution for the next election is calculated on an average of 1 Delegate per 85,000 citizens, and is calculated in the December of the year prior to the next scheduled election.

Each multi-member constituency elected its votes using Open-List Proportionality, where voters are required to vote for parties - and rank their order from 1 to the total number of parties standing, and are able to rank a series of candidates from the parties open list, in ranked order. Voters not voting for each candidate will be counted as a vote for the list as selected by the party - usually the order appeared on the ballot paper.

The calculation of the votes uses the to calculate the number of seats allocated. This results in the system favouring a wider spread of parties, and ensures representation by smaller parties.

Votes are collected on paper and with up to 30 parties standing in some regions often feature in lists of largest ballot papers. Indeed, there maybe many hundreds of individual candidates listed. The votes are market with a regulation red pencil, and when completed folded, and placed in a sealed box. Every two hours the ballot box is collected, and the votes are counted. The votes being made public sometimes as little as one hour after the closing of polls in some smaller regions.

The system is described as a hybrid system, as all votes are counted electronically, rapidly speeding up the counting and calculation process. The counting is supervised by a random selection of 5 candidates in each region, the police, and a member of the electoral court.

Foreign Affairs

 * See also: Jungastian Neutrality