Zahava

Zahava officially The Divine Empire of Zahava or The Imperium of Zahava is a country located on the eastern coast of Avalonia. Zahava borders Albaterra to the west, Koryeo to the south, and SiWallqanqa to the South West and shares a maritime border with Agrana y Griegro via the isle of Trinidad. Zahava is the worlds most populous country with over one billion inhabitants and is the third largest country in total land area encompassing 2,368,896 square kilometers. The Imperial government, under the Primogenitor of Zahava, administers jurisdiction over 14 provinces known domestically as Segmentums,and one direct-controlled municipality, the capital city of Arcanium.

Zahava emerged as one of the world's first civilizations, in the fertile basin of the Mageius and Masali Rivers in the mesis plain. A number of previously nomadic tribes would begin to transition to a more sedimentary and permanent lifestyle with the advent of agriculture. While there were many tribes that existed throughout Zahavan pre-history and antiquity the most developed and influential of these early civilizations were the Zokhian, Marsini, Pelleoni, Kaesoroni, Abranxe, and Terata.

Each of these peoples developed different cultures, types of government, religious beliefs, although languages became largely similar from one group to another. For many of these tribes, while all belonging to the same peoples the various settlements they established would typically act as independent of one another, and often in competition with each other.

In roughly 2070 BCE the Teratan king, Marius Kerularios subdued the other Teratan city states bringing them under his rule, along with several neighboring Abranxe cities, forming what is considered the first empire.

The Imperial house would exert absolute authority over all aspects of government until 2020 when Primogenitor _____, in the face of widespread internal unrest stepped down from governmental duties and appointed the first Archon _____ a member of the Imperial senate elected to serve as the new head of government.

Since then Zahava has been a governed by the Imperial Senate, who elects from among its members an Archon to serve as head of government. As a is a recognized  and is a leading member of the Economic Community of Southern and External Avalonian States global alliance and following the (name for peaceful revolution) became the newest member of the League of Free Nations.

Zahava has the worlds third largest economy with 6.3 trillion dollars gross domestic purchasing power parity with a gdp per capita of 6,300 dollars. The currency of Zahava is the denarius, a coinage originally implemented in about the 7th century BC. Zahava is a country with a  with a large rapidly growing  and  thanks largely to outside investment as well as a well-integrated. Despite this Zahava faces many issues with, , , and increased tensions with its neighbors governed by colonial minorites.

Etymology
The name Zahava derives from the name of Zahavarius, the mythological demi-god hero that saved mankind from the evil forces of the underworld and established the first city state, which also bore the name Zahava.

Pre-History and Antiquity
Thousands of Paleolithic-era artifacts have been recovered from the upper masali valley and dated to around 850,000 years before the present. While even older specimens such as a collection of stone tools and bones found in the Laphis plateau have been dated to 1.46 million years ago. Fossilised teeth of Homo sapiens dating to 125,000–80,000 BC have been discovered in caves along the Vulpis ridge.

In 2015 the most complete human skeleton to date was discovered in the boreal highlands, with the remains being dated to 8500 years of age, evidence of metallurgy has been found as far back as the 2nd millennium BC, where several excevations have yielded iron implements dated between 1800–1200 BC.

Among the earliest known civilizations in Zahava are the Zokhian, Marsini, Pelleoni, Kaesoroni, Abranxe, and Terata. With the Marsini and Pelleoni being among the oldest. Originally these groups of people were semi nomadic tribes but gradually began to settle and adopt methods of agriculture in areas such as the upper and lower masaili valleys and the northen pelagis plain.

As these ancient tribes began to settle in to their new sedimentary role they began to construct permanent settlements, and establish borders between one another. The types of government between tribes varied, with the Marsini opting for democratic government where their territories were governed by a council of elected leaders, who chose military commanders from among themselves while the Zokhians were governed by chieftains who would typically pledge their support to another more powerful chieftain, with infighting for position and authority to be a common occurrence. The Terata, adopted a strict social order with rulers being elected from among the various noble houses.

Geography
Zahava occupies a large area on the eastern coast of Avalonia and extends deep into the continental interior. Zahava shares land borders with Albaterra to the west, Koryeo to the south, and SiWallqanqa to the South West in addition to these it shares a maritime border with Agrana y Griegro via the isle of Trinidad.

The majority of Zahava lies between the equator and the tropic of Capricorn although the northern most sections of the country lie on or above the equator. At 2,368,896 km2 it is the third largest country in the world. Zahavan topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands.

Much of the terrain lies between 100-200 meters in elevation with the south west areas being mountainous with terrain ranging from 300 to 5000 meters with Mount Empion being the highest point in the country at 5033 meters. The east coast, and much of the interior areas are dominated by tropical forests, most of which comprise the Cyrene Rainforest and tropical savanna on low lying generally flat terrain with scattered rocky highlands, or plateaus. The southern coast is broken up with a transitional palm forest surrounded by yet more tropic and subtropic savanna leading to an extensive area of wetlands and marshes around lake Myddenia.

The southern regions are more rugged, dominated by subtropical savanna and thorny almost impassable shrubland scattered among broad rolling terrain broken up by low, rounded hills and occasional ravines and plateaus.

The western regions are dominated by a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges, which at their lower elevations are covered in subtropical shrubland, and valleys of grassland. To the northwest there is a large swath of tropical steppe created due to heavy deforestation in the area, although some areas of the natural thicket and scrubland have been preserved.

Zahava has a dense and complex river system, with several major drainage basins that empty into the Iapetus Ocean. Major rivers include the Mageiaus, Laphis, and Masali.

Biodiversity
Zahava is a due to the high biological diversity, and having many species of flora and fauna which are exclusively indigenous, or endemic to the country. The Cyrene Rainforest is one of the largest such forests in the world, and has among the greatest levels biological diversity of any particular biome in the world. The rich wildlife of Zahava reflects the variety of natural habitats found within its borders. The Imperial Zoology and Natural Sciences Institute estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Zahava could be well over four million.

Some of the larger mammals found in Zahava include the carnivores such as the tiger, lion, Avalonian Wild Dog, puma, jaguar, various types of leopards, ocelots and foxes. Large mammal herbivores include elephants, wild pigs, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, armadillos various types of deer/elk, wild horses, rhinoceros, various types of monkeys,squirrels and rodents, and several types of bovines.

Zahava is home to roughly 1800 different species of bird, of which some 240 are endemic. The types of birds vary greatly from raptors, the largest being the, considered sacred to the people of Zahava, and is the inspiration for the image of a two headed eagle which adorns the official seal of the country, and the current symbol dynasty holding the Imperial house. Other raptors include

Foreign Relations
Zahava maintains diplomatic missions or embassies in 59 countries, the Imperium has territorial disputes with Agrana y Griegro over the isle of Trinidad. Zahava considers itself an advocate for developing countries, and is strongly in favor of decolonization efforts, particularly in Avalonia.

Much of the Zahavan foreign policy centers on the notion that colonial powers, and their descendant populations should restore authority to native peoples over the lands. This cornerstone of foreign policy occasionally runs counter to the Zahavan policy of harmony without uniformity, which encourages diplomatic relations between states despite ideological differences. The latter having resulted in Zahava supporting and working with states others have regarded as dangerous or repressive.

Zahava is a leading member of the ECOSEAS alliance, and supporter of the World Indigenous People's Organisation. Additionally it allows the International Movement for Socialism to maintain offices in Arcanium, most recently the Imperium, has begun transitioning to occupying a larger international role, joining the League of Free Nations.

Military
The Sanctorus Imperialis Militarum sometimes referred to simply as the Militarum, is the armed forces of The Imperium of Zahava. The Militarum consists of six service branches, Imperial Army, Imperial Navy, Imperial Air Corps, Frontier Troops, Imperial Guard and the newly established Departmentum Cyberarium. Units are assigned to one of four theater commands known as Themes which are based on geographic location. The Militarum is the worlds largest military force in terms of manpower, if reserves are counted and equipment, and has an annual budget of 554 billion dollars annually giving it the largest military budget in the world.

Zahava is a recognized state and operates an undisclosed number of  and  in addtion to a limited number of   and. Zahava also has an extensive chemical weapons stockpile and is rumored to develop a number of biological weapons.

In the aftermath of the Eurekan War Zahava began undertaking extensive efforts to modernize its armed forces, particularly its navy and airforce, and began to transition to a quality over quantity approach. Since then Zahava has developed a number of and  capabilities that include,  and advanced , , and.

Zahava is large arms exporter, particularly to ECOSEAS member states, and has jointly developed a number of technologies primarily with Chezzetcook primarily in regards to naval assets. Since the early 2000s Zahava has made strives in the development of 100% domestic production, with the first fully indigenous aircraft carrier, the 80,0000 ton Prospero being launched in 2007.

Economy
See Also: Slavery in Zahava Zahava has a Development in Zahava is highly uneven with cities and coastal areas far more prosperous compared to rural and interior regions. Zahava is a. The interior of the country is still largely and remains largely focused on  in addition to ., with coastal urban areas experiencing rapid  and  growth over the past ten years. The State is the largest shareholder in many of Zahava's largest corporations.

The fastest growing sector of the economy has been manufacturing, with a focus on, , and s in addition to certain electronic components and arms manufacturing. Efforts to industrialize the interior have also been implemented with the development of chemical production plants and refineries

Zahava has a for both income and industry, a  from 1.3% to 17%, no sales tax, and relatively low property taxes.

Class Income and Inequality
 Zahava has always had a large income inequality gap. In 2018 the top one percent of Zahavans controlled roughly forty-five percent of the countries wealth. Over seventy-five percent of Zahavans urban population is expected to earn between 22,000-63,000 drachma a year while in rural areas are expected to earn 10,000-17,000 or less. This has led the government to implement a number of social welfare programs and infrastructure programs to help develop troubled areas

Communications and Media
See also: Culture of Zahava

Tourism
Tourism is a major industry in Zahava and is important for the country's economy and is a rapidly growing industry that serves millions of international and domestic tourists yearly. Foreigners visit the Zahava to see natural wonders, cities, historic landmarks, ancient ruins or archeological sites, to visit the numerous wildlife preserves, or other outdoor attractions, and entertainment or sports venues.

Zahavans seek similar attractions, as well as recreation and vacation areas. Sex tourism is also popular particularly among foreigners due to Zahava's lack of inhibitions towards sex in general, legal prostitution, and culture of acceptance towards LGBTQ people.

Traditionally tourism was somewhat limited to wealthy aristocrats whom would visit key historic and religious sites, both as an unofficial coming of age ritual and, more often than not for political reasons, such as heirs to the Imperial throne visiting the shrine at the site of Zahavarius' victory. As advancements in transportation technology were made domestic tourism became an industry, with many key cities such as Arcanium actively marketing events, such as fairs, and later grand orchestras, or plays nationwide to draw visitors. Cities would even compete with one another for periods of time, both in efforts to draw specific acts or events to their cities, but also on which city could have the most visitors for any given event. Many cities in Zahava have a wide variety of night clubs and bars, with certain areas of the town typically catering to tourists from different regions. Arcanium has the so called "Colonial Row" where a series of night clubs, restaurants, and other venues specifically meant to cater to western Artimean visitors. These areas are typically more heavily patrolled by police and other security personnel to ensure the safety of tourists and businesses in these districts.

Religion also plays a large part in the Zahavan tourist industry with many practitioners making trips to the country for key holiday festivals or to visit sacred holy sites as part of a pilgrimage.

Zahava's many beaches, and the islands that makeup the exoticus segmentum are major tourist destinations and offer a wide variety of resorts, tours, and other activities for visitors to the Imperium.

Transportation and Infrastructure
Since the late 1990s, Zahava's national road network has been significantly expanded through the creation of a network of national highways and expressways, primarily focused on the coastal regions. More recently projects which aim to expand these networks to the interior have begun. At the same time the national railways were also been expanded, and by the end of 2018, Zahava's high-speed railway network reached a length of 29,000 km. In 1991 there were a total of 10 bridges crossing the Masali, and Mageiaus rivers, which effectively trisect the country in to three north central and south regions. In 2000 there were more than 100 road and railway bridges and tunnels of various capacities that crossed the river ways.

Zahava has the world's largest market for automobiles, with sales exceeding 24 million in 2017. The rapid expansion of road networks has seen a dramatic increase in vehicle related fatalities. Many blame poorly enforced traffic laws as the main cause, resulting in the government forming a new specific police force solely for the purpose of traffic law enforcement, the number of traffic accident related deaths almost immediately began to fall following this measure, however the number of fatalities on Zahavan roadways still remains higher than in other more developed parts of the world.

The government has also taken additional measures to improve roadway safety, both by requiring more rigorous driver education and testing, and through the use of modern roadway construction and safety measures. The government has also implemented strict safety regulations and consumer protection laws that all vehicle manufacturers must meet. From 2007 to 2016 traffic related fatalities fell by an additional 21%.

In many urban areas, bicycles, or small motorbikes remain a common mode of transport, despite the increasing prevalence of automobiles.

Zahava's railways, which are state-owned, are among the busiest in the world, as of 2017, the country had 127,000 km (78,914 mi) of railways. Despite this extensive network the railways often struggle to meet demand. Particularly around key religious holidays where large numbers of rural citizens travel to stay in cities for the festivals, or to make religious pilgrimages, the eleven days of celebration from December 16 to the 27th see one of the largest annual human migrations in the world.

In 2013, Zahavan railways delivered 2.406 billion passenger trips, generating 1,059.56 billion passenger-kilometers and carried 3.987 billion tons of freight, generating 2,917.4 billion cargo tons-kilometers. The government continues to upgrade and expand the railway network in order to better meet this staggering demand. Beginning in 2000 the government began construction of high speed rail and metro systems for urban travel. The highspeed network includes the Nazrah-Arcanium-Selonopolis or NAS line, with an annual ridership of over a billion passengers in 2015. To date the NAS is the fastest train in Zahavan service with a top speed of 440 km/hr. In 2009 the government began construction on a maglev high-speed train connecting Arcanium and Nazrah, that would reach a speed of 600 km/hr, if the project is successful this line would be expanded to other urban areas.

Since 2000, the growth of rapid transit systems in Zahavan cities has accelerated. As of January 2016, 26 Zahavan cities have urban mass transit systems in operation and 39 more have metro systems currently under construction, with a further two dozen recently having their system proposals approved by the government. There are more than 210 airports in Zahava with up to 230 planned for completion by 2024. It is expected that by 2030 Zahava's commercial airline fleet will be approaching 6300 aircraft. Like road and rail networks, civil aviation in Zahava has seen rapid and largescale expansion. This has made some of Zahava's largest airports among the busiest in the world.

Zahava has 110,000 kilometers of navigable rivers, streams, lakes, and canals, with over 2,700 river and seaports, about 140 of which are open to foreign shipping of these eighteen are considered "major" shipping ports with a capacity of over 50 million tons per year, In 2015 Zahava's major coastal ports handled 3.2 billion tons of freight. River traffic and the use of canals and barrages remains a common method for moving cargo from the interior regions to the coastal regions for sale or processing and export, with ships of up to 10,000 tons being able to navigate some 1,000km inland on the Masali river.

Traffic on the inland waterways exceeded 3.459 billion tonnes of cargo in 2016, with passenger traffic reaching 271 million people. Construction of new railways and highways has diminished the utility of Zahava's rivers for passenger transport. Nonetheless, passenger boats are still popular in some regions, and remain a popular tourist activity.

Demographics


The 2019 census recorded the population of Zahava to be 1,001,230,145 bout 16.60% of the population were 14 years old or younger, 72.14% were between 15 and 59 years old, and 11.26% were over 60 years old. The population growth rate is expected to be 0.52%. Zahava makes up a large bulk of the worlds poor, although the government has started to make large scale efforts to increase the standard of living and lower the percentage of the population living in poverty. From 2009–2018, the unemployment rate in Zahava has averaged to be about 4%.

Population growth is a concern of the government, and extensive efforts on the spread of contraceptives and safe sex practices has been undertaken in attempts to control it. For brief periods of time the government has limited the number of children a household can have. Males account for 51.18% of the population.

The average life expectancy in India is at 73.4 years—76.1 years for women and 70.8 years for men. Migration from rural to urban areas has been an important dynamic in India's recent history. The number of people living in urban areas grew by 42.2% between 1991 and 2001. Although the vast majority of people still inhabit rural areas.

The literacy rate in Zahava varies dependent upon region, but remains relatively high compared to peoples level of income with a national literacy rate of 96.3%. This is largely due to the tradition of free and communal education and the cultural values placed on education overall.

Religion


The Epitoma Aiona contains the majority of Zahavan religious tradition and serves as a spiritual guide to the Zahavan ideas of the origin of the universe, the origins of the humanity, the lives of heroes, interactions between the gods and mankind, and the nature of the human soul. Zahavan religion is organized under a system of priestly offices with the Primogenitor being the head the faith. The next highest church official being the Ecclesiarch Imperialis a position appointed by the Primogenitor. Duties of the priestly offices include include deifying the Emperor, supervision of rituals and leading of prayers and other religious services or rites.

Zahavans practice daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly rituals as well as some more infrequent ones dependent upon a multitude of conditions. Rituals may consist of animal sacrifices, or prayers, and incantations made to heroes of Zhavan lore or to a specific individual or group of gods. In addition to the gods and heroes of the Aiona, Zahavans also worship their ancestors and often have a chosen familial deity meant to watch over protect and provide for the family, many Zahavans also worship the Primogenitor, as a descendant of the divine and a protector of all humanity.

Freedom of religion is guaranteed in Zahava, although unofficially Zahavan polytheism is the state religion and religious organizations other than this are subject to religious oversight by the government, and must pay taxes at a higher rate than Zahavan polytheist counterparts still enclaves of various religious sects exist in the country, typically confined to a specific village, town, or part of a region.

A 2016 study found 98.6% of Zahavan citizens identified as being practitioners of Zahavan Polytheism, making Zahavan Polytheism one of the most followed religions in the world, the remaining 1.4% being divided up among various branches of Christianity, Islam, and other faiths. Over 97% of those not following Zahavan Polytheism were identified as being foreign born persons.

Education
Zahavans have enjoyed some form of public education since the height of the second Tetrarch era nearly two thousand years ago. Zahava has maintained a high level of literacy throughout its history. With many towns and cities having multiple libraries, the Imperium considers it crucial that its citizens have access to the deep literary tenets of the Zahavan culture extending back as far as 700 BCE.

Primary education is moral and practical. Stories about great men and women, or cautionary tales about individual failures, were meant to instill Zahavan values into children early on. Parents and family members are expected to act as role models, and parents who work for a living often pass on their skills to their children, who typically go on to enter apprenticeships for more advanced training in crafts or trades.

More formal education is typically provided, in the evenings or afternoons where each town or village has a state, or religious order appointed schola magister, who instructs students in basic subjects like history, basic mathematics, some sciences, as well as reading and writing, and typically religious instruction.

Crime and law enforcement
Each Province maintains its own provincial wide police force, while cities, towns and villages also have their own smaller law enforcement forces. Provincia Arbites, Urbs Arbites and Praedium Arbites respectively.

Besides the Ordo Custodes the Imperialis Arbites are the only Empire wide police force. Unlike the Custodes the Arbites are focused primarily on enforcement of the Lex Imperialis which serves as the legal code of the Empire, although the two agencies regularly work closely together.

Art
People visiting or living in Zahava or the cities throughout the Imperium are exposed to art in a range of styles and media on a daily basis. Public or official art—including sculpture, monuments such as victory columns, or triumphal arches, or large commemorative statues, religious shrines and the iconography printed onto coins and paper money are the most common form of art people in the Imperium are exposed to.

Art is often religious in nature, depicting a god, or group of gods, ancestors, or in the case of murals often using visual images to tell one of the many ancient epics from Zahavan lore. Art, more importantly high quality art is enjoyable by all persons in the Imperium, not merely those who are wealthy. Temples, shrines, public baths, and other gathering places all are typically adorned with high quality art, while wealthy individuals may commission paintings, sculptures, or other works of art to be displayed publicly both as a means of flaunting their wealth but also as a means of showing their appreciation for culture.

Even items used for commercial use or interior decoration often display varying degrees of esthetic quality and artistic skill.

Oddly however for the most part artists and other artisans are often looked down upon in Zahavan society loosely considered to be akin to manual laborers, Still the required skills to produce quality work was recognized, and is often even considered a divine gift. For those exceptionally skilled artists they may be invited to reside in the home of a wealthy aristocrat producing private commissioned works for them, in fact it is common for Zahavan upper classes to use the works produced by their private artisans as a means of conducting showmanship and competition between rival noble houses.

Music
Music and singing play important parts in Zahavan culture as well and range over various traditions and regional styles. Many religious rites and ceremonies include incantations or prayers being said in a specific melody while certain instruments are believed to ward off ill influences from affecting certain rituals and ceremonies. Music also plays a large part in funerary rites, with funeary processions typically being accompanied by a small band playing music to ward off nefarious spirits, and to celebrate the deceased's spirit ascending to the Hall of tranquillitas.

Music and song are also considered important aspects of social events, with music typically accompanying the evening meal, or in the occasion of guests visiting it is common for children to sing or do other performances for the visiting parties, both as a means of providing entertainment and a means for the hosts to showboat the quality of education and talents of their children. Music is believed to closely resemble the order of the cosmos and is thus considered important for study in addition to subjects like mathematics and knowledge.

Songs also play an important role as a means of self expression and provides a means to preserve local history, with many folk songs revolving around historical events or epic stories, music is also important in a marshal sense, with many aristocrats and the Imperial house having their own marches which announce their arrival, the military itself has a wide variety of marches and songs that vary from regiment to regiment and musical instruments are often depicted in Zahavan art.

Literature
Zahavans have always placed a special emphasis on written word, and record keeping. The ancient scribe Laothoe is quoted as saying "If the sea were ink, there would still not be enough of it to record all the concerns, ledgers, reports, and private messages of the members of the Imperial Government."

Laws and edicts are traditionally posted in writing as well as read out at town squares. While being illiterate was no excuse for one caught breaking a new law. Religion, and the belief that rituals, prayers, and ceremonies must be conducted in the proper manner and order also play a key part in the Zahavan value on written word, to conduct a religious ceremony incorrectly would risk offending the gods and could bring great misfortune on oneself or family.

The preservation and honoring of Ancestors, and other folk tales or epics, and the deeds of these hereos or historical figures is another reason Zahavan's place high value on the written word, and why literacy rates remain high despite the dire financial situation many people in Zahava face.

Sports
Association football is the most popular sport by far with the Zahavan National Football Team regularly qualifying for the Anterran Cup. is another highly popular sport, with the Zahava Open being one of the major tennis festivals of the Anterran Tennis League. Other popular spectator sports include, , , , , , , and. Water sports like, , and are popular in Zahava as well. Motorsports have become increasingly popular in recent years particularly racing with a number of Zahavan metropolises having built tracks.

, mainly of white stags and general, , , , , , and general  as well as other outdoors, exploration type activities are popular in Zahava.