Samotkhe

Samotkhe, offically the Federal Republic of Somkartvelia (: სომკართველია ფედერაციული რესპუბლიკა // : འེདེརལ སམོཏཀེ རེསྤཨུབལིཀསི) is a sovereign state located in southeastern Artemia, it borders Gardarike to the north, Thalaky to the south, and Seratof to the west. To the south, Samotkhe has a coastline on the eurybian sea. it is one of the most sparsely populated sovereign states in Anterra, on par with countries like Tilenno. Samotkhe is an ancient state, stemming its roots from the Aopoan civilization that existed since 1000 BCE. The name Samotkhe roughly translates to 'Paradise', as the country has some of the most beautiful natrual Beaches in the world.

One of the world's earliest permanently settled regions, present-day Samotkhe was home to important Neolithic sites, and was inhabited by various civilizations. The area was first settled by the ancient Aopoan civilization in the Manba river valley. The Tillish began migrating in the 11th century, and the Tillish Khanate of Amina ruled Samotkhe until the Heltic invasion in 1243, when it disintegrated into small Turkish principalities. Beginning in the late 13th century, the Samots started uniting the principalities and conquering the Tovlis and Mtebi mountain ranges, and the Samotification of the Tovlis increased during this period. After the Violet revolution in 1350, Samotkhe was formed into a rudimentary parliamentary Republic and pioneered many elements of modern democracies. In the late 17th century the newly formed Samot Empire under the rule of Azamat the Great was able to conquer most of modern day Vrtgora and the Northern panhandle. By certain unrecovered circumstances the Samot Empire and the Kingdom of Seratof was able to form into a Diarchy known as the Samot-Seratofian Empire. The empire was able to acquire several overseas colonies and expanded into becoming one of the dominant powers in both Artemia and the world. Following the dissolution of the Samot-Seratofian Empire after the grand campaigns, Nazism was able to take a foothold in the region, establishing itself as the Samot Central State. During this period, there was mass amounts of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Tillish, who were considered as a "ruling minority class" by those in power. The Samot central state collapsed after a period of unsuccessful expansionsism caused it to be invaded and deposed by the League of Free Nations. Since the collapse of the Nazi regime, Samotkhe have adopted a more liberal and democratic government.

Samotkhe is a developed country, a regional power, industrialized country, with a geopolitically strategic location. It is an observer of the LoFN, an early member of PAC, and a former founding member of the UNC. Samotkhe's entry into the Pan-Artemian Coalition was approved in 2003 after a lengthy process of integration and standardization talks. It was originally a member of the UNC but left after the Pan-Artemian Coalition accepted its membership. Samotkhe is a secular, unitary, formerly parliamentary republic that adopted a presidential system with a referendum in 1997, with the new system having been in effect since 2000.

History
this section is WIP

Prehistory
Something something hunters and gatherers

Aopoan Civilization
The Aopoan Civilization originated in what is now northern Samotkhe. The Aopoan Civilization is attributed to some of the most important inventions of humanity, such as the lever, and the Chariot. it collapsed due to unknown reasons around 10 AD.

Dark Ages
Samotkhe is whole again, now it broke again [repeat 50x]

the Violet Revolution
The Violet Revolution was an event in 1350 AD in which Samotkhe was united as a republic for ~125 years. It was considered very unusual for its time that a republic could exist. The revolution occurred when King Armitage X ordered workers to collect shellfish for the manufacturing of violet dye, which he intended to use to assert dominance to the people. this caused mass civil unrest within the lower class, which sparked the revolution.

Rule of the Tilla Dynasty
It is unknown how the Tillish were able to establish themselves as the rulers as geological records from the period were scarce. What is known is that the Tillish people did not originate geographically from Samotkhe. Buddhist literature from the time referred to them as "People from the Lowlands".

Samot-Seratofian Empire
The Samot-Seratofian Empire was a dual monarchy that existed between 1850 and 1925, it was formed when The Declaration of Mutual Continuity was signed between Samotkhe and Seratof. The Samot-Seratofian Empire was a major power in the grand campaigns, as it initiated the eastern from via Operation Mountain Lion, the invasion of Gardarike. The advance of the empire was cut short by the Modrovian reinforcements, which performed a pincer movement and forced the Imperial troops to be Retreat.As the empire allied itself with the losing Teutonic alliance, the treaty of Holmgard forced the dissolution of the empire.

Ecomonic Depression
In the aftermath of the Grand Campaigns, Samotkhe was able to establish itself as an independent state, however, this was followed by the largest economic recession known to date. Slammed by war reparations and with hyperinflation, the Samot people's republic had no choice but to sell its territory for money. Three separate provinces are sold, one to Svenskt, and two others to Thalaky. Shortly after, another province declared independence and became the Ingush-Kabardino People's republic.

Mikeil Kobakhia and the Samot Central State
In 1931, Samot armed forces general Mikeil Kobakhia staged a coup d'etat on the government, he successfully took control of the government and established a fascist regime called the Samot Central State. He then invaded and annexed the Ingush-Kabardino People's republic. After massively rearming the military, Samotkhe then joined the Seratof-CAPS war against Svenskt; with a massive military advantage, this was completed without difficulty. Kobakhia then began a program of mass indoctrination and destruction of historical sites, referred to as the " Cultural re-education program ". In total, around 80% of all artifacts and historical texts related to the Tillish dynasty was destroyed or modified. In addition, any and all descendants of the Tillish royal family, the Buddhist high council and the house of Batons were executed, Along with a majority of Tillish people, which has an estimated casualty count of 4,000,000 people. He was assassinated on July 7th,1947 on a visit to Lestykhol.

Decline in Power and age of nuclear development
After the death of Kobakhia, Samotkhe was in massive political turmoil. With the struggle for power almost engulfing the entire nation. However, one man stood above all other. Tamar Qetevan ruled Samotkhe from 1947 to his eventual death in 1974. He instituted many political reforms and dissolved the Samartilano Constitution, which gave the people more political freedom, although not by much. He also commissioned the destruction of all Departure Facilities (execution camps) within Samotkhe. During the period of his rule, Samotkhe's military power declined significantly, From an estimated 5 million active-duty troops to only about 1 million. Qetevan also established an extensive nuclear program, however, this would be cut short by the Amethyst Revolution.

Liberation war and Civil war
Nearing the end of the decade of expansion, the Samot Central State has set it's eyes on Vrtgora, a country that was historically part of the Samot-Seratofian Empire. The initial invasion was quite successful, as the oversized Central Military were able to overrun Vrtgoran positions with ease. This act of revanchism was not overlooked by the international community unlike the previous expansions into Lusjki and Pozrika. The League of Free Nations were amongst the first ones to condemn the attack and were quickly gathering forces to resist the Central State's occupation.

During the 10-month period of occupation, many local organized resistance groups formed. The Central Military was inexperienced in fighting asymmetrical warfare and was not able to resist these partisan groups effectively, which may have contributed to the expedient collapse later on. These partisan groups also cooperated with the League of Free Nations in their military efforts by gathering information and sabotaging supply lines.

Period of Reconstruction
After the Civil War, the New Samot administration realized the country is in great need of Reconstruction and Reformation of the country. Thus, it became one of the founding members of the Unaligned Nations Consortium. As one of the founders of the UNC, Samotkhe had a strong emphasis on economic and scientific advancements. A few years later, Samotkhe joined the AnterCosmos Space agency in order to promote scientific developments.

Military
The Samot Armed Forces (სომქართველის Შეიარაღებული ძალები) are the military and paramilitary forces of Samotkhe, under the President of the Republic as supreme commander. They consist of Samot Republican Army (სომქართველის რესპუბლიკური არმია), Samot Republican Navy (სომქართველის რესპუბლიკური ფლოტი), the Samot Republican Air Force (ეროვნული საჰაერო სამხედროები), The PAAD (Pan artemian aerospace defence command) and the Military Police called National Guard (ეროვნული გვარდია), which also fulfils civil police duties in the rural areas of Samotkhe. Together they are among the largest armed forces in the world and the the third largest in the PAC. Samotkhe has several large military industries, with a moderate Aviation industry. Its industries have produced such equipment as the Zogavia G-line of fighters, the Martveli-class aircraft carrier, and the Vt-96 tank among others.

Major defense spending has been justified by the fact that an under-funded and under-equipped military led to the embarrassment of Samotkhe internationally in the form of the Tovlis War. As an effect of the Tovlis war, the entire 776 Kilometer long Border between Samotkhe and Gradinska is made up of a 5-km wide Demilitarized zone, Heavily guarded on either side. Another reason for the size of the Samot military is due to the need to project power to Samotkhe's overseas territories. In fact, despite having one of the shortest coastlines, Samotkhe has a navy on par with other major powers.

Samotkhe's Air Force is a dominant component of the nation's armed forces, providing Air Support to both the Army and Naval forces. Unlike in other nations, Naval Aviation is considered a component of the Air Force, rather than navy. The naval aviation component operates mainly from the Aircraft Carriers and the Amphibious Assault ships used by the Samot Navy. In addition to operating most of the nation's military fixed-wing aircraft, They also operate rotary wing aircraft in conjunction to the Army.

The Samot Marine Forces conducts most of its expeditionary warfare, and is a component of the navy. They are usually the first troops deployed to new overseas areas and are usually stationed away from the Samot Mainland in Foreign bases.

The Ervnuli Gvardia (National Guard) are a core component of the Samot Armed forces, They act as a civil police force in "Frontier provinces", Mostly in the nothern panhandle, they can be called for a variety of both conflict and humanitarian needs. They are also considered as reserve armed forces, they can be called into active duty via the president. The elite Counterterrorism unit SIG is part of the Ervnuli Gvardia. As a branch of the military, the Ervnuli Gvardia operate their own Aircraft and Naval regiment.

Samotkhe operates many bases overseas, the main ones being located in Lusjki, St. Vorbeia, Badzevalari, and Iere. These bases act to project Samotkhe's powers overseas and maintain strategic control in different parts of the world. There are 2 Bases in Lusjki, a joint Army-Air force base near the capital and a naval base near Ulëz. Installations in Badzevalari are in the process of decommissioning as of 2020.

Administrative Divisions
The Federation of Samotkhe and Maradisoba is divided into 22 administrative divisions that re controlled by a central government, with varying levels of autonomy. These include 17 provinces, three province-level cities, one national wilderness reserve and one de-militarized zone. The capital Yūksekent houses the national assembly as well as the parliament.

Human Rights
Samotkhe's human rights situation is described as poor by independent observers. The 2015 Human Rights Watch report on Samotkhe said that the country "heavily restricts freedom of assembly, speech, and religion. In 2015, authorities closed newspapers, jailed or fined dozens of people after peaceful but unsanctioned protests, and fined or detained worshipers for practising religion outside state controls. Government critics, including opposition leader Yusisayin Marner, remained in detention after unfair trials. In mid-2015, Samotkhe adopted new criminal, criminal executive, criminal procedural, and administrative codes, and a new law on trade unions, which contain articles restricting fundamental freedoms and are incompatible with international standards. Torture remains common in places of detention."

According to a Modrov government report released in 2015, in Samotkhe:

"The law does not require police to inform detainees that they have the right to an attorney, and police did not do so. Human rights observers alleged that law enforcement officials dissuaded detainees from seeing an attorney, gathered evidence through preliminary questioning before a detainee’s attorney arrived, and in some cases used corrupt defence attorneys to gather evidence. [...]" "The law does not adequately provide for an independent judiciary. The executive branch sharply limited judicial independence. Prosecutors enjoyed a quasi-judicial role and had the authority to suspend court decisions. Corruption was evident at every stage of the judicial process. Although judges were among the most highly paid government employees, lawyers and human rights monitors alleged that judges, prosecutors, and other officials solicited bribes in exchange for favourable rulings in the majority of criminal cases."

Samotkhe's global rank in the World Justice Project's 2015 Rule of Law Index was 65 out of 102; the country scored well on "Order and Security" (global rank 32/102), and poorly on "Constraints on Government Powers" (global rank 93/102), "Open Government" (85/102) and "Fundamental Rights" (84/102, with a downward trend marking a deterioration in conditions).

Culture
The symbol on the Samot Flag is a Buddhist symbol known as the eternal knot, representing the endless cycles of life and the traditional Buddhist view on the universe.

Art
Prior to the 20th century, most works of fine arts in Samotkhe are of religious or ceremonial purpose. Traditional Buddhist artworks called Thangka were often made for depicting historical and cultural scenes. After the beginning of the 20th century, artists in Samotkhe started using more modern and contemporary styles and themes. Under fascism, Samot art was unable to be spread internationally. Only after the fall of fascism in Samotkhe was modern art truly able to be noticed in the world scene. Notable artists from Samotkhe include Josip Tzkhoidze, Qatalina Abasi and Sheev Lannisson.

Cuisine
Rice, Buckwheat, and Bread are the staples of Samot Cuisine. The most common meat is mutton in the central steppes, Substituted in the Northern Plains by Pork and Chicken, and in the Mountains by Beef (including Yak). Many types of soups and stews are prepared with dried spices and chilis, with cheese as a notable ingredient in many such dishes. Dairy foods, particularly butter and cheese from yaks and cows, are also popular, and indeed almost all milk is turned into butter and cheese. The influence of Samot Cuisine from neighboring cultures such as Seratof have had an effect on popular dishes, especially on the local level. Historically, many significant dishes of Samotkhe were influenced and taken from those of Samot-Seratofian colonies, such as the addition of the prickly pear and pumpkin from Badzevalari, Chili peppers and Avocados from Iere, and Satay from South Kesh. Notable dishes include Khinkali (dumplings with soup fillings), Shesha Masala (Grilled Yak meat in a creamy orange curry sauce), and Sousi (A blood soup made from beef or mutton).

Sports
Samotkhe has a vibrant enthusiasm on Soccer, being consistently rated as one of the best countries in the world at the sport, part of this can be attributed by Soccer's similarity to a traditional sport called Goliburti, in which players have to score a goal on the other team by throwing a spear into the other team's target area.

Geography
Samotkhe has a relatively diverse terrain and climate, with mountains in the north and several major rivers. On the northern border with Gardarike lies the Tovlis range, which has several Ultra-Prominent peaks. The Manba river spans the country from north to south, emptying into the Eurybian sea. Norther Samotkhe is known for its mountains and the Buddhist monasteries that are constructed on their cliffs. Central Samotkhe is home to The capital- Yūksekent, which contains 25% of the nation's population. Central Samotkhe is home to one of the largest oil reserves. which, in recent years, has skyrocketed the nation's economy. Southern Samotkhe is mainly split up into two parts, the Ch'aobshi national park, which has many endemic flora and fauna found nowhere else in Anterra. and the Costal city of Tstelivish, a major tourist destination, known for its black sand beaches.

Geology
The Central Samot steppe is among the oldest on Anterra, with regions dating from 2.5 to 4.2 billion years. The multitude of rivers and lakes in the entire region is caused by the watersheds of the area being so young and in a state of sorting themselves out with the added effect of post-glacial rebound. The steppe was originally an area of very large, very tall mountains (about 12,000 meters or 39,000 feet) with much volcanic activity, but over hundreds of millions of years and much glacial activity, the area has been eroded to its current topographic appearance of relatively low relief. It has some of the oldest (extinct) volcanoes on the planet. It has over 150 volcanic belts (now deformed and eroded down to nearly flat plains) whose bedrock ranges from 600 to 1200 million years old.

Climate
Samotkhe can be roughly separated into three climate zones. Northern Samotkhe has a Cold Semi-arid climate (Köppen Bsk) In contrast, central Samotkhe has a humid continental climate. (Köppen Dsa), and southern Samotkhe has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csc). Near the western border, the climate becomes Semi-arid (Köppen Bwk) and even more continental, with rather hot summers and very cold winters.