Bargarország

Bargar - Pozrikan Border Conflict (1958 - 1973)

 * See more: Bargar - Pozrikan Border Conflict

Geography
Bargarország occupies a total landmass of 104,850 km2 in Eastern Artemia. It is a landlocked nation and resides on the northern edge of the Central Artemian craton resulting in a range of different geographic features and geographic variety. Bargars’s south and south east is largely comprised of a mountain range which separates Bargarország from its southern neighbour, with alpine forests spread throughout the south. However, the Bargar alps transition into steppes and then into barrens as they taper into northern Bargarország in which the Bargar capital and majority of the population resides due to its flatter and easier to access topography.

Climate
cold...

Population
As of 2019 the Bargarország has a total population of 8.53 million, placing it amongst the smallest nations in the world. Bargarország has a relatively sparse national population density at 81.4 people per square kilometres. It has a slow growing population with a 1.1% annual change as of 2018, and a relatively high life expectancy with males expecting live up 82.5 years and females living 83.5 years.

Bargarország has a small but growing immigrant population, largely from other Eastern Artemian nations which make up 9% of the national population. This is a result of Bargarország's stringent immigration policies which do not grant foreigners born within Bargarország citizenship, unless they are born to at least one Bargar parent. Gaining citizenship in Bargarország is a long process with foreigners having to live within Bargarország for a minimum uninterrupted period of 13 years and must complete a 2 year integration program in which they are taught the Bargar language, customs and traditions which are seen as essential for successful integration into society. This stringent citizenship process has limited Bargarország's growth through immigration, which has resulted in 91% of the Bargar population being ethnically Bargar.

Major Cities

 * See more: Provinces of Bargarország

Bargarország's holds a higher than average urbanisation rate with 83% of the Bargar population residing within the cities. This is largely a result of the mountainous geography which covers much of the nation, this has caused most cities to be concentrated in the flatter northern Bargarország with few major towns being constructed amongst the mountain ranges of southern Bargarország.

Education

 * See more: Bargar Education System

The education sector in Bargarország is made up by a majority of federally owned and funded public schools with very few private institutions even at tertiary education level. Children study until the age of 18, all curriculum is decided by a federal education authority and is the mandatory standard for education across Bargarország with grade scales dictated and standardised at a federal level to remove discrepancies between schools. As a result of post graduate military service requirements for all Bargar citizens, curriculum includes small introductory courses to the armed forces which commence in a students' 10th year of study. These courses often include introductions to firearms safety and maintenance, military history and other topics that will assist in their post graduate service period.

Bargarország sits amongst some of the most educated nations on Anterra, with a total of 73.9% of the population having completed an education qualification of any kind, 54.9% of which have completed a form of post secondary tertiary education after their Secondary Education Qualification and 45% have sought non-tertiary forms of post secondary education. Schooling typically lasts 13 years and is compulsory in some form or another for Bargar citizens and residents with students required to complete schooling up to at minimum Year 11 before transitioning to alternate education solutions such trade schools for plumbing, construction and other labour based positions.

In the final year of schooling in Bargarország (Year 12) students choose two work sectors they are interested in and are given pre-chosen subjects based on those sectors which expands their general knowledge of different positions and work types within any given area of work and assists their transition to tertiary education by teaching them what to expect out of their chosen areas. Upon completion of their final students sit several exams based on their subjects which produces a final aggregate score which is used for entry into tertiary education institutions, with different courses having different entry pre-requisites, students do not have to choose courses within the two work areas they chose at the beginning of their final year however.

While most students are expected to graduate and transfer to a military academy to complete the compulsory service period with the Bargar Royal Armed Forces, it is possible to opt to defer service in favour of completing tertiary if the course is present on a service exemptions list updated yearly by the Bargar government. The exemptions can delay the compulsory service period until after completing tertiary education if the course they wish to partake in benefits them during the compulsory service period, or defer the compulsory service period for a set amount of time if the course chosen leads to careers which the Bargar government states are lacking personnel.

For tertiary level studies, the Bargar government offers government indexed loans covering all education related costs to citizens in order to pay for any course of choice. Citizens are only expected to begin paying their government loans after they have graduated, have entered the workforce and reach a set minimum pay.

Politics
semi-corrupt... mostly the royals.

Foreign Relations
neutral...

Defense

 * See more: Bargar Royal Armed Forces

The Bargar Royal Armed Forces (Bargar: -) is made up of a combination of the of land (Bargar: -) and air forces (Bargar: -) and is the acting military force of the Principality of Bargarország. The Bargar military is primarily tasked with the defense of Bargarország and its long term territorial integrity and as such maintains no long term overseas deployments instead opting to participate in joint training and peacekeeping operations internationally as a means to continually improve the nations defense capabilities and expertise. Under the country's conscription system, professional soldiers only make up a small part of the military encompassing approximately 70,000 personnel with the army making up majority of that number at approximately 60,000 personnel while the airforce sits at approximately 10,000 personnel. There is crossover between the administration of the two main branches due to the existence of a small airborne infantry unit operating under the Bargar Air Force typically utilised as a rapid reaction force within Bargarország itself.

Conscription and the Bargar National Militia
In order to maintain war time readiness, Bargarország has maintained a mandatory conscription policy for all adults between the ages of 18 to 45 years old for a period of 24 months for those not attending tertiary education or 12 months for those registered to attend tertiary education. The service period for conscripted personnel begins one month after their 18th birthday and occurs prior to any form of tertiary education, with some tertiary education courses being exempt from the active service period. Upon completing active conscript service, citizens remain on a reservist list until the age of 45 and are placed in their closest National Militia unit.

In addition to the two main branches the Bargar National Militia (Bargar: -) operates as a national reservist force as an underlying branch of the Bargar army utilised to bolster the Bargar Royal Armed Forces in the event of war. The National Militia is entirely made of reservist and conscripted personnel who are all subject to basic training which can occur during active service or during their conscripted service period before being placed within the home guard unit for their local militia unit typically within their town of residence. All militia personnel undergo yearly training refreshes typically lasting between two to six weeks depending on role. Leadership within the National Militia is almost exclusively made up of reservist officers or officer cadets who are currently attending the Royal Bargar Military Academy in Beredria, some of which will go into active service others will remain in the reservist force and only mobilised in the event of war or national catastrophe. The regulations of the Bargar militia system allow soldiers to maintain their own personal equipment, including weapons (not including ammunition), within their household or in a regional unit armoury in order to allow rapid mobilisation, a system which has been put to use in the past in situations where the Bargar National Militia was partially mobilised pre-emptively due to fears of regional instability and conflict affecting Bargarország such as the, Yarovan Steppe conflict, Rovski-Zaporizhian Separation, Yaro-Aukalnian War and during brief periods of escalation of the ongoing Rovski-Graznavan Conflict.

Domestic Arms Industry

 * See more: List of Bargar Defense Contractors

Bargarország maintains an extensive and well-developed defense industry as a means to fulfil its defense requirements without a large reliance on foreign manufacturers and defense contractors thus allowing it to maintain its policy of military non-alignment.

The Bargar defense industry has extensive history, with some defense contractors having been in business for over 300 years. The industry became largely self-sufficient during the Grand Campaigns and Vojiskiy War as foreign imports were largely cut off for the duration of the wars which allowed it to develop to its current size and structure. As of 1996 the Bargar defense industry began to diversify by partially privatising its defense contractors which attracted foreign investment from various nations. This as a result has allowed Bargarország's defense contractors to access a larger financial base, increased availability of resources and also opening the Bargar defense industry to a wider export market through the relaxation of export controls on Bargar weaponry and military equipment.



National Fortification and Defense Policy

 * See more: Bargar National Bulwark

The Bargar National Bulwark (Bargar: - ) is a national fortification plan developed by the Bargar government beginning in the 1890s as a means to deter foreign invasion. The National Bulwark primarily refers to a heavily fortified region of the Bargar mountains intended as refuge for the Bargar Army and encompasses a widely distributed set of fortifications which entirely encloses the Bargar mountain range with four major fortresses which are intended to protect the major mountain passes which lead into the mountainous regions of Bargarország. The bulwark was intended as a near impregnable barrier against foreign invaders which has grown several times throughout its existence, denying aggressors passage through or over the Bargar alps by controlling major roads, mountain passes and tunnel networks (both railway and automotive) which run into and out of the Bargar mountains. The strategy was adopted as a means to ensure Bargarország’s security by deterring invasion altogether by making it costly for any invader to attempt to occupy Bargarország, allowing Bargarország to largely maintain its neutrality by providing the defense infrastructure necessary for Bargarország to defend itself.

In comparison to its original form the National Bulwark has grown to include nuclear protected shelters for Bargar citizens and troops, hidden gun emplacements, preparation to destroy key transport infrastructure such as rigging for the destruction of bridges and tunnels, and other widespread infrastructure denial techniques.

Economy
The Bargar economy is a small and stable economy when ranked internationally, sitting amongst some of the worlds smallest economies in terms of gross domestic product (PPP) output. The Bargar economy is largely driven by its banking sector which had formed in the late 17th century which has become emblematic of Bargarország and has garnered extensive international ties and has grown to be one of the largest tax havens in the world with one of the largest offshore financial centers. Bargarország also maintains an export-based economy primarily based on raw materials, natural gas but also featuring other economic sectors such as textiles and alcohol production. The nation as of 2019 has a gross domestic product (PPP) of $446.5 billion. Bargarország is a high-income country due to a gross national income (PPP) per capita of $52,390 - Bargarország has a growing middle class due to continued state investments in high-skill vocational education and critical infrastructure, as well as the expansion of technology based industries such as electronics design and information technology sectors supplementing the increases to the production and import of consumer goods. Over the past 10 years, Bargarország's real gross domestic production growth has averaged at 2.67%.

Bargarország also has a small but growing modern agrarian economic sector, featuring farmland in the Bargar flatlands. Bargarország has had a growing agricultural industry which produces various agricultural goods including cereals, vegetables, and cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry. Timber is also a large export in Bargarország and as of 2001 has been gathered in a more sustainable manner with the introduction of replantation laws. Furthermore, the mineral extraction and refinement industry exports various minerals such as lignite, iron, lead, gold, copper, natural gas, salt, sulphur, various silicates, bismuth-complex minerals and rare formation endemics as well as steel and various metal alloys. The resource extraction fuels the small Bargar industrial base and manufacturing sectors.

Currency
Coin heavy currency. Denomination: Kurona, sub unit: Herceg

Textiles
Silk + wool (Sheep and yak fiber)

Energy
Gas fired power plants (decreasing but dominant) Nuclear power (growing quantity) Wind power (growing quantity) Coal plants (limited quantity)