Albaterra

The Republic of Albaterra, (Portuguese: República da Albaterra): Is a landlocked nation located on the continent of Avalonia. Formerly a colony of Jungastia, Albaterra has been independent since 1979. Though the country is officially considered a Republic, Leonardo H. Sapateiro has been the leader of the country since before independence. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are not guaranteed and human rights are regularly violated in the name of Law & Order. Religion plays a big role in Albaterra and The Catholic Church has large influence and sway over the population in the country. Because of this, The Catholic Church have a very large impact on what becomes law and what doesn't. The Church has ruled Albaterra side by side with the People's Democratic Party since 1979.

Discovery(1551)
Albaterra was first discovered when settlers from the north moved southward away from the northern coast. Following the river that goes through the land they were able to keep contact and trade with the main part of the colony by the northern coast. Jungastia expansion in the area was done slowly and with relative calm to begin with. Expansion was done naturally as the population increased and more colonists arrived from the home country. With it's thick rain forest and rugged landscape the exploration southwards was done at a very slow speed. Because the expansion south was deemed too slow. The King of Jungastia issued a royal decree to increase the speed of the expansion southward and find land that was good enough to suffice for a permanent settlement. This settlement was going to become the local administrative center to support further expansion in the area. The King of Jungastia saw fit to task General Antonio Baptista to handle the exploration and expansion southward.

Colonization(1552-1600)
Colonization picked up speed after Antonio Baptista was appointed to lead the exploration into these new lands. Being tough and ruthless, he was the perfect man for the job. The details of his exploration into the unknown are very popular in modern Albaterra and are regularly praised for being "proof of the enduring spirit of the albaterrian people" and the hardship that the colonists faced when first settling the country. Not wanting to go through the rain forest, Antonio decided to move inland by boat. Packing all the supplies on small boats they set off on their mission and sailed inland. The first few stops proved mediocre at best but at the end of the river was a great lake. They stopped their boats and set up a camp for the time being to explore the surrounding area further. The landscape was beautiful and completely untouched by civilization.

After months of exploration and mapping out the surrounding area the military camp had evolved into a small town with colonists and even women and children moving to the new settlement. Antonio named the new city Cidade Baptista which is the Capital of modern day Albaterra. The local native population were initially very welcoming to the colonists and trade between the two was flourishing. The first few years were very peaceful but that soon changed. Nobody really knows what exact events caused tensions to rise between the two groups, though there are theories as to what caused it.

In the year of 1555 the first group of priests were sent to the nearby native tribes to be converted to the true faith. Antonio Baptista personally sent the request since he himself was a devout catholic, he couldn't let the heathens go believing in their pagan Gods. This would be the start of the rising tensions between the colonists and the natives in the area. Antonio is believed to be the main reason for the high tensions between the colonists and the native population. Antonio would continue to forcefully convert the natives throughout his reign in the region. The tensions would grow so high that it would eventually cause the The Holy War of Avalonia. The war was a crusade against the pagan natives in the area after peaceful conversion was refused several times. Many historians refer to the entire crusade as one war though fighting were much higher some years and nonexistent during some years.

Politics & Government
Albaterra is a  and the Honorable President is the Head of State. The first and current President of Albaterra is Leonardo H. Sapateiro, who has been President since the country gained it's independence in 1979. With the help from The Church of Albaterra and The People's Democratic Party, Leonardo has been in firm control of the country ever since. The 1981 Constitution of Albaterra gives the Honorable President great power over the government. These powers include things such as dismissing and appointing cabinet members at will, issuing laws without a vote, immunity from prosecution for life, dissolving the parliament, the ability to instate martial law at any moment and much more.

During the 40 years of his rule, Leonardo has shown little toleration for opposition and none of the elections since independence has been considered fair or democratic by international standards. His toleration of different opinions is believed to barely have changed at all since he became the leader of Albaterra in the 70's. This attitude is very likely to remain as the government official policy against opposition for as long as Leonardo remains as Honorable President of Albaterra. Leonardo has also faced rising criticism from other countries for allowing (and even sanctioning) the oppression of the native population in the country by both public & government officials and private individuals & private businesses.

In Albaterra the Honorable President is elected by the people in a general election every 7 years. Current Honorable President Leonardo is currently serving his 7th 7-year term and has won every general election with a landslide since the first one was held in 1979. The latest of these elections were the 2014 Albaterran General Election. While freedom of speech is protected under the law, it is not enforced when it comes to other political parties. Freedom of the press is also protected under the law, however almost all of the media is either state owned, owned by Leonardo himself or a member of his family.