Zaporizhia

Zaporizhia (: Запоро́жье, : Запорі́жжя), officially United Zaporizhia (: Объединенный Запоро́жье, : Об’єднане Запорі́жжя), is a   located in Eastern Artemia. Zaporizhia is a relatively young country, formed out of the United Provinces of Rovsnoska and Zaporizhia in 1994. Zaporizhia possesses sizeable agricultural areas, heavy industries and strategic commercial seaports essential to Eastern Artemian trade with Kesh. In comparison to some of its neighbouring states, there is a considerable scarcity of natural resources in Zaporizhia and it depends on service exports to sustain its economic stability. Owing to its recent involvement in a crippling, Zaporizhia's industry continues to suffer. Zaporizhia shares a border with Yarova to the north, Poja to the south, Tethys coastline to the east, and Rovsnoska to the west.

Etymology
"Zaporizhia" derives its name from the Peremorovkan beyond the rapids, which references its geographic situation in regards to the River Alegiyev which spans across much of Artemia's Far East.

Antiquity and early history
Evidence of  settlement in Zaporizhia can be seen in archaeological sites near the capital of Sosnivika (approximately 42,000 BCE) which include discoveries of remains. The territory of modern-day Zaporizhia is also widely thought to be the likely location for the human domestication of the horse. The region was largely dominated by the in a time frame from the late-6th century CE to the mid-to-late-9th century CE. Subsequent to this, the advent of the led to the creation of the East Slavic confederacy of Ljudia. The confederacy, which is estimated by historians to have existed from the late-9th century to the mid-13th century CE, included territory now part of Yarova. Ljudia derives its name from the ljudьje meaning “men” or “people.”

In 988 CE, Pyotr the Pious of Ljudia introduced to the  Ljudians. The administrative structure of the confederacy became increasingly decentralised over time and eventually disintegrated by the 12th century CE, with the emergence of several distinct East Slavic nations. Zaporizhia surfaced as a separate nation in spite of its cultural closeness to the other ethnic Yarovar tribes to the north of the River Alegiyev. With respect to this, in the ethnolinguistic sense, Zaporizhians are occasionally referred to as 'south-eastern Yarovars'. During the, Zaporizhia was a of the Tsardom of Yarova, maintaining a strong association with its northern brethren but simultaneously cultivating its own identity with its centre of government in the fortified city of Sosnivika.

Governorate of Zaporizhia (1743-1926)
Following the extensive and unprecedented territorial expansion of the Yarovan Vojiskiy Empire throughout the 18th century CE, as part of the manifest destiny policy of Vostochnoye Gospodstvo (‘Eastern Domination’), the Protectorate of Zaporizhia was directly annexed in 1743. Along with the neighbouring ethnic territory of Rovsnoska, Zaporizhia was reorganised as a Governorate of the Vojiskiy Crown (guberniya). The Governorate served as a crucial asset to the Empire’s carrying out of international trade and aided in its colonial expansion into Kesh, with the conquest of Tolima in 1786. A substantial number of ethnic Peremorovkars settled in the Governorate and established fishing villages on the Zaporizhia Peninsula, accentuating the already-stark contrast between the Zaporizhians and their northern counterparts in Yarova Proper.

In the latter part of the 19th century, Zaporizhian, and communism caught traction in the Governorate. Zaporizhia birthed notable communist figures Igor Schrebina and Vladimir Kurchatov, who would go on to collaborate with Rovsnoskan separatists of a shared communist persuasion to secede from the Vojiskiy Empire following its collapse in 1926. Schrebina particularly advocated unity with Rovsnoska but separation from Greater Yarova. Similar to the union of the and  in the United Socialist Boreal Republics of Aukalnia and Sartland, which was also founded in 1926, the United Provinces of Rovsnoska and Zaporizhia was considered a temporary measure. An attempt was made by the first President of the United Federated Districts of Yarova, Vladimir Simakin, to reunify the ethnic Yarovar regions, however, this was foiled following his passing away in September 1926. The communist one-party system of the United Provinces impacted the diplomatic relationship with the newly-democraticised Yarova, however, relations rarely strayed beyond neutral.

United Provinces of Rovsnoska and Zaporizhia (1926-1994)
After the two states were formally unified, Vladimir Kurchatov was inaugurated as the first president of the new, socialist United Provinces, which he ruled through the Supreme Soviet. Once a predominantly agricultural country, the United Provinces was transformed into a mid-range industrial state, and acquired an international reputation due to its manufacturing of s. The United Provinces was established as a comprising two republics, from west to east: Rovsnoska and Zaporizhia. In 1943, Andre Marchotov, the then-leader of the opposing party, was kidnapped, beaten and shot. This sparked nationwide outrage and almost ignited into a civil war. However, this was successfully prevented due to a declaration of, which was utilised as a mechanism to swiftly repress all opposition before it could organise. In 1968, reserves of were discovered in swathes of territory situated between Rovsnoska and Zaporizhia and the country enjoyed an economic boom owing to this. With its new-found wealth, two major companies where formed: Zapoatom, which was tasked with constructing and operating s, and Rosuran, which carried out. In 1972, the first excavation was completed at Cherkasy Nuclear Power Station. By 1980, the plant officially commenced operations and began to supply power to Sosnivika.

In the late-1970s, Zaporizhia's oil resources were beginning to decrease at an accelerating rate and, by 1984, exploration and production had virtually ceased. The termination of this industry, which played a central role in the economic output of the United Provinces, had a devastating impact on the state's economy. The failure of the government to prepare for such adversity resulted in a famine and in 1993 which, according to some estimates, claimed the lives of over 40,000 Rovsnoskar-Zaporizhians. The following year, in 1994, a nonviolent demonstration in Sosnivika was met with brutality by government forces. This sparked the Rovsnoskan-Zaporizhian Civil War. For the duration of the conflict, the communists retained control over Zaporizhia, whereas much of Rovsnoska was captured by fascist separatist rebels. After heavy fighting and profound loss of life, the conflict concluded with the secession of Rovsnoska.

Contemporary history
Following the civil war, the diminished Zaporizhia initially struggled to regain a stable footing, with soaring levels of unemployment. Allegations of corruption at government-level and within the Armed Forces came to a head in 2005, when dramatic, sweeping reforms were implemented, which involved the removal of almost half of army personnel and government staffers. Later that year, the nuclear power plant in Ivankov was reopened, which restored electricity to much of the country's deprived rural areas. In 2006, in further efforts to stabilise the economy, dozens of factories were expanded and the road and rail network was rebuilt. By 2009, the national economy started to display signs of growth, the fist time since the 1970s. This was seen as a major victory.

In 2010, modernisation efforts were underway which involved the country's movement towards democracy and a mixed, transitional economy. Today, Zaporizhia is still recovering from the civil war. Recently, the government announced plans to build a "closed city" with another nuclear power plant to replace the deteriorating-Cherkasy. The Armed Forces still boasts a sizeable quantity of employees, with around 30,000 active personnel and an additional 400,000 in reserve. The majority of the state's former infrastructure remains in ruins but, gradually, the situation is improving with a reconstruction program in progress. In 2013, Alexander Ilyamin took over the Zaporizhian National Party and now leads the government. Zaporizhia nurtures an increasingly-sophisticated secret police force.

Geography
Zaporizhia has a strategic position in Eastern Artemia: lying on the shores of the Zaporizhian Sea and the Tethys Ocean, it borders the Artemian countries of Yarova to the north, Poja to the south and Rovsnoska to the west. The total geographic area of Zaporizhia is 95,036 square kilometres (36,694 sq mi). The land border of Zaporizhia totals 3,448 kilometers (2,080 mi). The border lengths with each country are: Poja 552 kilometres (343 mi), Rovsnoska 1,064 kilometres (661 mi), and Yarova 1,832 kilometres (1,138 mi). Zaporizhia is also bordered by 2,488 kilometres (1,546 mi) of coastline.

The Zvinyacheye Plateau (Плато Звіняче) dominates the landscape of much of the country's northern region, and is divided from Yarova's Dzyunakaz Steppe by the River Alegiyev. In the north-west, along the border with Rovsnoska, lies the Rosnoskaya mountain range (Росноська гора), which includes Zaporizhia's highest mountain Zapormorn (Запорморна), which stands at 1,445 metres above sea level. Whereas central and southern Zaporizhia features vast unforested grasslands and fertile plains, stretching as far as the southern tip of the Zaporizhia Peninsula. The climate of Zaporizhia is mostly, with the exception of the Vasylivka perninsula which has a. The country has two sizeable lakes located in the south, Beregovaya (284 km2) and, the largest, Ingur (516 km2).

Governance and administration
According to the Fundamental Law of Zaporizhia, the country is a  republic, wherein the President is the  and the Prime Minister is the. Constitutionally, Zaporizhia is structured as a, with the government composed of three branches:


 * Legislative: The Parliament of Zaporizhia (Запорожский парламент), made up of the 225-member (1 per 65,000) Chamber of Deputies (Палата депутатов) and the 146-member (1 per 100,000) Supreme Council (Верховный Совет), adopts national law,, approves treaties, wields the  and the power of  of the President.
 * Executive: The President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, can veto s before they become law, and appoints the Government of Zaporizhia, known as the Cabinet, and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
 * Judicial: The Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the President, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem.

The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term, but not for a third consecutive term). The current President of Zaporizhia is Alexander Ilyamin. Ministries of the government are composed of the Premier and his/her deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister (whereas the appointment of the latter requires the consent of the Chamber of Deputies). Leading political parties in Zaporizhia include the Zaporizhian National Party (Запорожская национальная партия), the Communist Party (Коммунистическая партия Запорожья), and United! (Объединённый!).

Foreign relations
Since Zaporizhia's move from a communist one-party state to a multi-party democracy with a in 2010, the country has enjoyed an improved relationship with its northern neighbour of Yarova, which actively encouraged the popularisation of  and. In September 2012, President Ilyamin became the first Zaporizhian president to carry out a to Shchyokhov where he met with his then-Yarovan counterpart Nikita Chekudayev. At present, Zaporizhia is a recipient of from Yarova and, in 2018, received a total of 1 billion USD to support economic growth. Zaporizhia has been regarded as a potential candidate for League of Free Nations membership.

Music and dance
Zaporizhias music has not changed very much from the UPRZ era with the most popular band being the Zaporizhian army choir, their biggest hits include The brave soldiers, Konarmeiskaya and The evening bell. Another popular band is Lyrbo also from the UPRZ and gained fame in the war with his patriotic songs.

Zaporizhian armed forces
The Zaporizhian Armed Forces are responseble for protecting the state and offensive if nescesery