Qarai

Qarai ('), officially The Qarayan Republic or The Republic of Qarai''' is a country in Northern Kesh. It is located between Nasiria to the west and Alva to the east and borders HCCK in the south. Its location is central to the Eurybian Sea which solidified its position as a culturally diverse hub. The Northern Kesh mountain range cuts through the south of the country and is home to many unique ethnic groups, some of which, were isolated for thousands of years. Qarai is home to an estimated 30 million people in an area size of 576,950 km sq.

Qarai is governed by a unique system of where each ethno-religious group has reserved executive offices, legislative seats and judiciary positions in addition to a portion that is either democratically elected or appointed. This power-sharing agreement was put in place to avoid violence and internal conflict and thrives to strengthen the national identity of the country.

Etymology
The ancient Qaraites were a tribe native to the region who settled in what is today's Northern Qarai. It is thought to originate from the word Qurai (: "قرائ") which can be translated as "Readers". The name dates back to the 800s - 900s from Haqiqatan literature, the earliest written records referring to the region and its natives that does not come from the region itself. The name possibly stems from to the fact the Qaraites were known to read and write when it was not common outside of religious and administrative officials.

Prior to that, the Qaraites would've refereed to themselves as A-Um possibly meaning "The People" or "The Nation". The name can be found in several stone tablets and surviving fragments of texts.

A-Umhuri roughly translates to "Free People" or "Free Nation" and is used as a native word for

History
The A-Qas region of Qarai has traces of human habitat as early as 5000 BCE with many clay poetry items, primitive weapons and stone carvings. The region is a semi-arid oasis near the delta of the A-Qas river surrounded by the vast desert of Qarai. It is possible that initially the inhabitants were a fishing community who later evolved to agriculture when it had reached the area utilizing the delta's fertile arable lands to grow wheat and some vegetables.

The city of Mara at the southern tip of Qarai also has a long history of habitat but it is evident that the region had not developed agriculture at least until 300 CE and had been isolated from the rest of the country. The isolation sprung forth several ancient cultures and languages, most of whom are extinct with the only remnant surviving is the Baal Al-Il faith, which is still debated whether it had even originated in the area.

Geography
Qarai is composed of 576,950 km sq of land, located in the center of Northern Kesh on the southern edge of the Eurybian Plate. The south of the country is dominated by the Northern Kesh mountains range and the north borders the Eurybian Sea. The country also has several islands off the coast.

The climate of Qarai is mostly hot and dry with several smaller regions of hot  that experience more rainfall than the rest of the country and is home to Qarai's unique vegetation and foliage. The southern-most edge of the country is special due to it sitting on and is considered a jewel of biodiversity isolated from much of the environment nearby.

Government and politics
Qarai is a with characteristics of. The parliament is divided into allocated regional seats per ethno-religious group and nationally elected seats. The government and executive branch are also restrained by confessionalist power-sharing and Judges throughout the country are appointed by regional administrations which usually also adhere to ethno-religious divisions. The system is intended to foster cooperation and deter a potential power-grab by one community.

The inner-workings and the mere existence of the system spur debates throughout the country with some arguing that the system should be abolished in favour of proper national democratic elections that are not restricted by sectarian lines.

Law
Qarai law is based on with the exception of personal religious matters which are governed by a set of religious laws for each of the major religion groups and religious courthouses. In addition to the national judiciary each of the religions have their own judiciary branch and council for writing these laws. The religious laws are diverse in the systems on which they are based and differ from one courthouse to another, being largely independent.

The secular national courts system is divided into a three-tiers system of district courts(also known as first-instance courts), governante courts(also known as appeals courts) and a single national supreme court. In addition to the three-tiers there is also a constitutional court which rules on legislatures and executive matters.

The executive branch
The executive branch of Qarai consists of the Prime Minister, his cabinet of ministries and the governing coalition in parliament. All three are elected by a majority vote in the parliament, usually after national general elections.

The president of Qarai is the head of state and is mostly a ceremonial role that represents the country as a unified entity. He is obliged to remain neutral on political issues and be pragmatic when representing the country in foreign affairs and international events. In addition to the foreign relations role he is also ceremonial in internal affairs, often opening various national ceremonies and offering apolitical speeches, pragmatic to the country.

Economy
Qarai boasts a with very little  aside from subsiding basic supplies. In foreign trade, government intervention is near to non-existent and low tax rates encourage foreign investments in the country. The treatment towards foreign investments is a deeply debated topic in the country.

The Qarayan economy has a nominal of $29.808 billion and an average yearly growth-rate of around 9% during the period between 2000 - 2020.

Qarai has a diverse economy with the mining industry being the largest at one fourth of the GDP, agriculture and manufacture each take up one fifth of the GDP and services is a growing sector that currently consists of one sixth of the country's GDP.