Badzevalari

Badzevalari (Badzevala:, romanized: Badzevalari, pronounced [bɐd͡zəvɐlɐri]), officially The Democratic Republic of Badzevalari (Badzevala: , romanized: Badzevalari Dzhelişatam Krofelêc̄ma, pronounced [bɐd͡zəvɐlɐri ʤəliʂɐtɐm krɑfəlɛʧmɐ]) is a country in the northern part of North Avalonia. Its Five provinces and Two territories extend from the Tethys to the Iapetus, Badzevala's capital is Khagasisha, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Nemalansha, Bastianville, and Lhati.

Various indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Badzevalari for thousands of years before Artemian colonization. Archeological records point to the development of a bronze-age civilization around the Azure river basin around 200 BCE. Due to the lack of written language around this period, very few observations of pre-classical peninsular avalonian society can be made. Artifacts containing an have been uncovered in recent years, which some linguists theorize to be the origin of the modern Badzevali Script. The bronze age civilization likely collapsed due to a shift in the flow of the Badzeva and Gizol rivers, causing desertification of previously arable land. Ancestors of contemporary Badzevalans likely migrated from western Tavaluda around this time.

Entering the northern avalonian Classical period, cultural integration of many core Tavadal cultural customs led to the formation of the Kropalenêma, a system of confederate elective chiefdoms with a unique form of land organization. The confederation frequently traded with the mercantile confederations to the north and the various nomadic tribes to the south.

Badzevala has a unique system of government referred to as Dzhelitsam, roughly translating to "Way of the people". The government is ruled by an executive council of members elected from each "Cultural region". Each member of the council is elected in their own region, the election is then ratified by the parliament. With a total of 15 members of the executive council, there is 15 heads of state of Badzevala. When conducting state visits, the role would be given to the Council representative (The representative is not a member of the council and only acts as a figurehead for the council's decisions). The parliament of Badzevala is unicameral and consists of members that are elected from the "Political regions" of the country.

The country is highly developed, with a high HDI and per capita income. The economy is quite advanced thanks to its abundant natural resources and the robust trade network and position it has within the north avalonian sphere. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. The nation is quite ethnically diverse as a product of large-scale immigration from many other countries, as well as having a very high native population. The influence of both Artemian culture from the former colonial rule as well as native culture from Tavaluda has had a significant impact on Badzevala's national identity.

Etymology
The name Badzevalari originated from the native term for the Avalonian Lion (Badzeva), which is an endemic species to Badzevala, combined with the suffix denoting land (-lari). The artemian colonizers shortened the name to Badzevala after colonization. Originally the name "Badzevala" was only used to refer to land west of the Fezec̄an river, with the plains to the east named as "Akhali Artimija" by the colonizers. This designation gradually fell out of favor and there is no record of the colony being called said name by 1800. The official name changed back to Badzevalari following the independence however it is still commonly referred to Badzevala both domestically and internationally.

Geography
Stretching from the Brigantic Gulf in the east, and the Tethys Ocean in the west, Badzevalari occupies 935,750 square kilometers of space, however this number is increased to 956,700 if we consider all the internal waters within the nation. Badzevalari shares a land border with Tavaluda to the north, as well as Arroyo-Abeille to the south. The physical geography of Badzevalari is widely varied. Much of the country is occupied by the Badzeva Desert, mountains are prominent in western cordillera and through the Grotplato, and the relatively flat Continental shield in the East facilitates productive agriculture. The southeastern plains have a mild subtropical climate where a lot of Badzevalari's industry lies. The climate becomes Mediterranean on the windward side of the mountains, with several cities lining the coast.

Biodiversity
Badzevalari is divided into eight terrestrial and three marine ecoregions. These ecozones encompass over 50,000 classified species of wildlife, with an equal number yet to be formally recognized or discovered. Due to human activities, invasive species and environmental issues in the country, there are currently more than 300 species at risk of being lost. Over 40 percent of the Badzevalan landscape is intact and relatively free of human development, with the biggest national park within Anterra located in the west of the country, at a size of around 175,000 km2 of land being within park boundaries.

Approximately 22.1 percent of the nation's landmass and freshwater are conservation areas, including 15.7 percent designated as protected areas. Badzevalari's biggest national park, the Valakhanami National Ecological Reserve spans two countries and is roughly equivalent in size to Seratof when both nation's parks are considered. The park covers glaciers, ice fields, deserts, mesa plateaus as well as some of the biggest redwood forests on the continent. Other notable national parks include the Latakhia plateau conservation area, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful canyon landscapes in anterra, and the Bastianville National Park, which is located on the Bastianville peninsula on the west coast.

Climate
Average winter and summer high temperatures across Badzevalari vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, particularly in the Continental Shield Regions, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −10 °C (14 °F) but can drop below −20 °C (4 °F) with severe wind chills. The summers temperatures in the Badzeva Desert can be quite high, with the region receiving temperatures higher than 40 degrees Celsius for weeks on end, and receiving little precipitation year-round. Because of its location near the center of the North Avalonian peninsula, the Badzeva Desert can have temperatures vary by over 40 degrees in one day, falling before freezing at night while being well over 30 degrees celsius in the afternoon.

Government and Politics
Badzevalari is described as a nation with a high ranking on the world democratic index. I'm gonna write this part later.

Demographics
The 2021 census sets the Badzevalari Population at 45,521,852 inhabitants, citing an increase of 0.8 percent annually. The population density of Badzevalari is considered to be low for the region, owing to its variable geography. Badzevalari's birth rate is 1.95 children born/woman, experiencing an upwards shift in recent years. The population growth rate is increasing due to a recent repeal of a national two-child policy. The percentage of the population lower than 15 is around 22.3%, and the percentage of people older than 65 is around 10.5%. The sex ratio of the population is 0.98 male/female. The average life expectancy in Badzevalari is about 81.8.

Ethnic Makeup
Around half of the Badzevalan population can be considered as "Badzevali", as the Samot-Seratofian Empire did not have a single organized assimilation policy that other colonial powers instituted, modern Badzevalan Ethnical makeup is quite discrete in its classifications. Badzevali people generally assume darker and more bold features than Tavic or Argatans. It's likely that historically the Badzevali was made up of separate groups from the north Avalonian Classical Era (400-1200 CE) which slowly assimilated into a single group in the ensuing age of unification. Badzevali traditionally held the most representation in government and administrative affairs in the post-colonial era. The second-largest ethnicity in Badzevalari is known as the Akrodal, a mixed Artemian-Badzevali population making up around 18% of the population. The Akrodal population is considered a single ethnic group despite internal inconsistencies of Samot-native and Seratofian-native mixed groups, an inherited classification from the original colonial policies that were used to ease racial tensions and administrative strain.

A significant Argatan population also exists within the country due to proximity, most of which reside in the eastern regions. Although many in the Argatan communities have called for a re-organizing of the border of the two nations, neither government has expressed interest in addressing the issue. The Artemian ethnic groups in Badzevalari primarily consists of Samots and Seratofians, being the colonial administrators of the region until 1925. Post-colonial tensions towards colonial ethnic groups have caused a steady decrease of the Artemian populations, especially since the following Samot Central State was seen as an aggressively expansionist and cruel nation. Due to the Samot-Seratofian Empire's tendency to integrate local rulership customs in colonial affairs, there was no significant need for a cultural preservation or restoration program. The rest of the populace is made up of miscellaneous groups from Kesh and other parts of Avalonia such as Iere and Arroyo.

Religion
The Badzevalan Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of religion to all citizens and residents of Badzevalari. Under the charter, no discrimination or otherwise unfavorable acts will be tolerated against persons of any religious following. Badzevalari lacks an official "state religion", however, most of the population follows a form of philosophical polytheism known as Todza. Due to the unique nature of Todza, most who follow it in Badzevalari do not consider it a religion, rather, it is commonly seen as a cultural belief or custom. Many Todza followers see it as a complement to more conventional religions such as Artemian-Introduced Ūygandism or Islam. Despite this, census information still shows Todza as followed by 57% of the population as the primary religion. A further 15% of the population follows Ūygandism, inherited from the Samot-Seratofian Colonial rule.

Todza is a polytheistic, polydeistic, and autotheistic religion that emphasizes the internal harmony of the two fundamental "pillars of sentience", Tale (Emotional Godhood) and Dzêle (Logical Humanity). In Todza, the Tale and Dzêle elevate humanity to a state of balance between animality and godhood, which gives sentience to people. Deific figures in Todza are seen as primordial beings of pure emotion, unable to fully understand survival and logic due to their immortal nature. Whereas animals are seen as beings of pure logic, driven only by survival and the passing of seed. Humanity is, then, the perfect combination of Emotion and Logic, and the closest to "perfection". Typically, Todza ideals urge the following of the "three harmonies": Empathy, Moderation, and Choice.

Religious minorities in Badzevalari are mostly concentrated in urban areas, with the largest city Nemalasha being a major center of religious exchange. Religious architecture in Badzevalari are of unusually modern construction, as the Samot-Seratofian Empire appropriated a large amount of pre-colonial sites for usage, they were converted to be used for colonial religions instead. Many traditional religious sites use modern and postmodern architectural styles.

Education
Badzevalan culture places a heavy emphasis on education, all students are to be enrolled in the national education program until age 18, which is state-provided and free of charge. The curriculum remains the same in every province of the country, additionally, the national education curriculum is considered to be quite rigorous, with private tutoring being a large industry domestically. At the end of the national education, all graduating students are to take a 3-day long graduation/college entrance examination hosted in the Capital, students must also choose between either the artistic sciences concentration or the logical sciences concentration, Students who choose artistic sciences receive further testing in history, political science, linguistics, and geography, while those who choose logical sciences are tested in physics, chemistry, engineering, and biology. The overall mark received by the student is generally a weighted sum of their subject marks. The maximum possible mark varies widely from year to year. If a student fails in their first attempt, they are encouraged to repeat the last year of high school to retake the exam during the following year.

Higher education options are a mix of private and public options, with the state providing subsidies for private options. The graduation examination results are used to apply for higher education in the national post-secondary system. The student's applications are submitted after they receive their scores, by filling a list of ranked preferences. Applicants to some specialist programs are also screened by additional criteria: some art departments (e.g. audition), military and police schools (physical exam), and some sports programs (tryout). The examination is essentially the only criterion for tertiary education admissions. Poor test performance would lead to very unfavorable outcomes in terms of tertiary education options. The importance of the examination heavily dominates the culture surrounding education, with great criticisms both domestically and internationally.

Cities
Compared to neighboring countries, Badzevalari is relatively sparsely populated. The largest city in Badzevalari is Nemalasha, and around 78% of the country's population resides in urban areas.