Iere

 Iëre (Land of the Hummingbird), also known as the Hummingbird Isles is a Parliamentary Commonwealth Republic located on a chain of islands off the coast of Eastern Liao. Home to a population of just 7.4 million is among the world's smallest states by population. The nation has a long history of colonization and immigration that has led to it being a very culturally diverse nation and some dare say it it is the most Cosmopolitan country in the world owing to the fact cultural segregation has not been allowed to thrive. The Nation had peacefully obtained independence in the 1967 from the colonial government of Somkartvelia however is still apart of Samotkhe due to its Commonwealth status. Since its independence the nation has managed to remain neutral and has largely stayed out of most world affairs seeing no reasons to pick sides. Following a doctrine of Pacifism and Neutrality the Nation posses no Military but instead maintains a small SDF force responsible for protecting the Sovereignty of the nation from outside forces however there is a Samotkhe military base located in the Country.

Despite the economy rebounding from the recent recession and the inflation crisis 7.5% of the population is still unemployed, Crime is becoming more of issue, rising wealth inequality has led to a increase of the percent of the population living below the poverty line and total economic growth is still minimal.

Politics
Until the recent election the two dominant parties were the United Congress (UC) and the People Prosperity Union(PPU) support for these parties appears to fall along Ethnic and Provincial lines, with the UC consistently playing along ethnic lines in the Zair and the Far Northern states to gain enough seats to maintain a near strangle hold on the Government, and the PPU using a similar tactic in the Southern Provinces only managing to gain power by chipping away at votes in Buel and Bihar. The country previously possessed a first past the pole system and was in constant gridlock as the two major parties did not share much viewpoint and seemed content to just block the other all this was to come to a end when the Coalition for Change (CC) a united Coalition of many important small parties and the Harmony Party united to challenge the two ruling parties control of the government. By relying on the vote of many young voters and independent voters the coalition won a sweeping 65% of the 120 seats up for grabs winning more than enough to pass laws and change the constitution the win was in part due to the major Urban areas rebelling against their parties for the economic turmoil that ravaged the country.

On January the 17th of 2017 the parties first term in government a referendum was held to get the people's opinion on whether the electoral system should be changed to a proportional representation system. With a huge 75% of those who participated voting in favor of the Electoral Changes the following year with the people's mandate the government peacefully transitioned to the proportional representation system in 2022 the first National election under the new system will be held.

Administrative Divisions
Administrative Divisions of Iere Iere is divided into eight administrative divisions that are controlled by a central government, with significant levels of autonomy though the central government has the ability to intervene in any matter that Provinces are given control over. The HummingBird Isles Governing Act first enacted in 1870 by the Imperial Government led to the creation of the eight provinces that now make up Iere. The Act is the fundamental base upon which Iere's current post-1967 government was form at the time of it inception Iere in its entirety was considered to be a Province of Samotkhe so the the eight provinces simply functioned as lower level divisions of the Province known as a counties. The Act was amended in 1967 to make it that each state would each have two senators representing them with Andor, Buel and Zair having three senators each a additional 6 senators are independently selected and selected on the basis that they remain neutral and only seek out the best interest for Ierian on a whole previously Iere. Due to the more recent developments amendments were made to to the HummingBird Isles Governing Act Iere transitioned from what was becoming a highly toxic first past the poll system to a proportional representation system with each party now receiving seats based on the number of votes they received this has led to a interesting situation in which more minority fringe parties have gained more say in government the amendment to allowed a clause that allows smaller provinces to not be disenfranchised by making it that a person's vote in said province to be worth 2 votes.

Demographics
The ethnic composition of Iere reflects a history of conquest and immigration. While the earliest inhabitants were of Native heritage, the two dominant groups in the country are now those of Kesh and of Artemia heritage.

Ethnicity
Samotians and Seratofians make up the country's largest ethnic groups 26% and 25% respectively they are primarily the descendants of the first colonists to settle in Iere, arriving in Iere to start a new life for themselves.

Tillishians make up the country's third largest ethnic group, with 16% of Iere population they are the resolt of refugees fleeing from genocide in the continent Iere being the only part of the (Empire) willing to be a safe haven seeing that Iere is a great distance from the rest of the (Empire) it has managed not to be greatly influenced by the dangerous ideologies that affected the homelands and develop a uniquely Ierian mentality.

Lusjkians are Iere's fourth largest Ethnic group at 13% of the population most have found their way to Iere during the economic golden age of Iere fleeing extreme poverty and hardships in their homeland to date many of Iere's immigrants are of Lusjki stock seeing that the country still united with Iere through the commonwealth is still economically deprived.

7% of the population are those who identify as being of mixed heritage the result of Iere's complex ethnic/racial makeup and many inter-ethnic relationships. 1% of the population is all that remains of the natives. The remainder of Iere's population are  small but significant minorities of people of Hyberian Descent and the Far corners of Artmia and Kesh with the Badezali from Hyberia being Iere's fifth or to some sixth largest Ethnic group

Demographic Transition


The country is in stage 4 of the Demographics Transition model but many believe the Iere is expected to be within this stage for a long time to come due to immigration and the county's above replacement level fertility rate. Iere is not expected to see any decline in population for years to come with many predicting that Iere population may reach 10 million at the least before beginning a steady decline. Iere's Population pyramid illustrates a interesting story about the nation's immigration and the events history has had on it. Some estimates state that due to many migrating to the homeland during the 1926 forced independence crisis and coupled with the events that led to Iere rejoining Samotkhe where many Ierians decided it was their duty to go to the homeland and aid in its reconstruction within the estimates upper limits Iere has suffered a estimated loss of 4 million in population growth which would of made Iere's population 6.8 million instead of it current 2.8 million.

Urbanization
Urbanization is Iere has maintained constant growth throughout most of the 20th century after 1929 with most choosing to living in 1 of the five Metropolitan Areas that are the true economic engines of the country. The Buel, Andor and Zair metropolitan Areas house 82.73% of Iere's entire population of that percent Buel is by far the largest Metro area with 37.21 percent of the Iere's population which is approximately 1.1million people Zair is not to far behind with 26.5%. As of the last official ranking the city of Buel is the largest city Iere followed closely by Zair at second, Andor at third and the city of Werdna at fourth. Geographically speaking most Ierians live in northern Iere which includes the metropolitan areas of Zair, Buel and Kudo. with a total urban population of 89.45% Iere is among the world's most Urbanized country's most people in Iere see this as a good thing with most people living within Urban Areas the provision of services in a country that has a low population density it far much easier as well as it makes it easier to insure that Iere's natural environment remains one of the best worldwide.

Economy
Iere’s economy has achieved a high ranking among the top developing countries greatly influenced by the by it highly diversified economic portfolio of note three of the largest industries Tourism, Banking, and Oil. Agriculture and Manufacturing are also important to the local economy. Iere though unable to meet all of its food needs is among the highest per capita food and agricultural exporters.

Although one would assume the Oil exports would contribute the largest share of Iere's GDP this is far from the truth once the mainstay of colonial Iere's economy the sector has seen a gradual decline though investments from companies in Zahava have seen a reemergence of the sector but in reality the government no longer pays to much attention to the sector as Iere seeks to become Carbon Neutral by 2055.

The current Administration only recently fully legalized marijuana, all natural psychedelic drugs and their derivatives a move long predicted with Iere signing on to the CAPSA treaty and one can't forget the historic moment 7 years ago when in a referendum held alongside provincial elections Ierians voted to decriminalize it and for the government to work on a framework to regulate it before fully legalizing the herb. The Ierian economy isn’t dominated by any one major city/urban area instead three different economic hubs are prominent in the Country all three working together in a deep symbiotic relationship. The Capital city of Buel in the west where the HeadQuarters of most International and Local Businesses that have branches in Iere are located. Buel is also the location of the largest Stock Exchange in Iere and quite possibly all of Central Avalonia with the BSE listing companies from Baileneu Ma, The Commonwealth Memberstates, Ecoseas and many other countries. The Andor in the south the tourism hub of the nation. Andor has one of the largest Casinos in the World the Grand Paradise Casino, the city is home to quite a number of Casinos many geared towards foreigners. Andor is also the fashion capital of Iere and quite possibly all of Central Avalonia the Andor Metropolitan area alone produces ##tons of clothing regular fashions are hosted weekly in Andor with all manner of styles most designed to be pleasing while easy on the wallet. Zair in the northeast the industrial hub. Zair is where most of Iere's heavy industries are located however as time has passed this reliance on heavy industries has declined with the emergence of new competitors on the market from LDCs. However this decline has been meet with investments into industries higher up the value chain with Ship Building, Semiconductors, Renewable energy products to name a few. Zair was hit the most by the financial crisis with a significant portion of the population being unemployed however due to many government initiatives it is quickly making a rebound.

Exports of goods amount to 8 billion dollars while Import of goods amount to 8.21 billion dollars. Export of services amount to 7.8 billion dollars while import of services amount to 7.3 billion dollars. The Ierian economy though healthy and has been seeing modest growth has seen an inflation rate that has led to the nations PPP near equal to its Nominal GDP.

Mining
The petroleum sector (LNG and Oil) makes up the biggest portion of Iere’s mining sector accounting for in value 44% of exports refining it not a part of Iere’s petroleum sector instead the sector focuses on exporting oil and LNG as cheaply as possible while insuring the industry remains profitable. The other sectors of Iere’s mining sector continue to remain important though they remain relatively underdeveloped particularly with regards to the development of secondary industries. The jewelry industry continues to be the only significant downstream industry related to the mining sector.

Tourism
The booming Tourism Industry has managed to just barely scrape past the Petroleum Industry's contribution to GDP with stable economically prosperous Supply Countries and falling travelling prices aided by the falling oil and gas prices the Industry is on track to record growth. The Tourism sector is mostly focused on Ecotourism, the classic three S, Health tourism, Cultural tourism, Gambling and Sex Tourism. The Nations boosts vast swathes of virgin land teeming with wildlife. The nation has many sites to behold and its greatest natural treasure is Heaven's Reef the one of the world’s largest barrier reef located on the east coast of the largest island.

Manufacturing
The Manufacturing Sector has started to grow at a modest rate aided by a few old government policies and some new ones encouraging the growth of further linkage industries linked to the Petroleum and Tourism Industries as well as encouraging the growth of the already established manufacturing sectors with the Clothing and Toy sectors being areas to see further expansion. Moves to encourage high tech manufacturing have long been started with investments into the next industrial revolution being prioritized.

Agriculture
Agriculture has seen a steady decline over the past few decades even though the Industry once guaranteed Iere was self-sufficient in food production, and was once a significant food exporter to the Fatherland. Though no longer in its glory days agricultural exports still makeup a significant share of Iere's export. Corruption and government neglect has led to swathes of highly productive land that was once under cultivation being returned to nature or in some cases being turned into industrial and residential areas and the country becoming reliant on food imports. Iere still is able to meet 4/5 of its food needs and exports large amounts of seafood, rice, hot peppers, fruits, lumber, high quality chocolate and coffee. Iere currently grows 1/30 of its cotton demand for its Clothing Sector however the government has started to implement some measures to encourage farmers to switch to much more profitable crops that will have less of a impact on the environment. Iere's seafood exports comprise mainly of Tuna, Lobster, Crab, Clams and Herring with some other species accounting for the rest. Poultry, Pigs, Goat, Sheep and Cattle are mostly grown for local consumption with some products made from them being also exported for example Paradise Goat Cheese.

Technology
The Tech sector has been the most recent benefactor of government policies with the most major development being the complete removal on all taxes on technology related companies based in Iere and the the New Iere Science Park a industrial and office complex which finished construction two years ago after two decades in controversy and going way above budget. The Park geared towards the development of what is hoped to be a thriving a technological hub. The New Iere AI park is also home to the state of the art Iron Bird University which finished construction 3 years ago. The university is geared towards providing internationally recognized degrees in the computer sciences, robotics, engineering and video game design. Already the complex has started to show serious promise with many young designers who have enrolled in video game design developing games that are gaining popularity worldwide with the two games of most popular note being Dragons Age of Equestria and Final Crystal. So far only three manufacturing companies have set up shop in the park Stephone Industries a small smart phone and tablet manufacturer, Moria a smart TV manufacturer and Oscocorp a Genetic Engineering company that has set up shop in Iere to capitalize of the Country's virgin land and many undiscovered plant and animal species.





Geography
Iere is a archipelago country in East Avalonia just off the coast of the country of Liao. The main island is characterized by the Samot Mountain range that runs down the center the island the western coast is where the majority of the island's flat land is located with east being more dominated by hilly terrain. The majority of Iere's population reside along the west coast once one checks the Andor Metro Area as being west coast though a significant portion of the population live on the east coast. There are many mountain peaks over 3,500 feet, the highest being Zenith at 3,952 m ft. The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges is still active which has led to the formation of quite a few hot springs across the archipelago, there are approximately three active Volcanoes in Iere with quite a few extinct and dormant one, earthquakes are common with few being highly destructive the most recent destructive one being in 1969 which had led to the death of ten people. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in east near the edge of Iere's territorial waters.

Climate
Iere lies on the Tropic of Cancer, and its general climate is marine tropical. The northern and central regions(of the main island) are subtropical whereas the south is tropical and the mountainous regions in the north experience temperate conditions at the higher elevations The average rainfall is 2,600 millimetres (100 inches) per year for the archipelago proper the rainy season is concurrent with the onset of the summer  Monsoon in May and June. The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. Typhoons are common in July, August and September. During the winter (November to March), the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the archipelago are mostly sunny

Biodiversity
Iere lies on the continental shelf of Avalonia, a million years ago it was physically connected to the mainland, its biological diversity is quite high has much in common with that of Liao/K.N.A but it has developed to a much more diverse area. The main ecosystems are: coastal and marine (coral reefs, mangrove swamps, open ocean and seagrass beds); forest ( temperate rain-forest, subtropical decidious forest, seasonal tropical forest, tropical rain-forest); freshwater (rivers and streams); karst; man-made ecosystems (agricultural land, secondary forest); and savanna. On January the 17th 1995, Iere signed into law the Biological Diversity Act, and it has implemented several biodiversity action plans and every three years reports describing the state of country's biodiversity. These reports help protect the the biodiversity of the archipelago which has been recognized by law as being important to the well-being of the country's people through provision of ecosystem services.

Information about vertebrates is good, with 633 bird species (96 endemics), about 110 mammals, about 123 reptiles (20 endemics), about 69 amphibians (including several endemics), 90 freshwater fish and at least 950 marine fish 1040. Notable mammal species include the ocelot, West Indian manatee,red-rumped agouti, red brocket deer, Neotropical river otter, weeper capuchin, ringed-tail lemur and red howler monkey; there are also some 30 species of bat, including the vampire bat and fringe-lipped bat. The larger reptiles present include 6 species of marine turtles known to nest on the islands' beaches, the Boa constrictor and the spectacled caiman. There are at least 20 species of snakes, including only four dangerous venomous species, lizards such as the green iguana, the cryptic golden tegu and a few species of fresh water turtles and land tortoises are present. Of the amphibians, the golden tree frog is found only in the highest peaks of the Southern Samot Range and Marine life is abundant, with several species of sea urchin, coral, lobster, anemone, starfish, manta ray, dolphin, porpoise and whale shark present in Iere's waters.

Iere is noted particularly for its large number of bird species, and is a excellent place for bird watchers. Notable species include the scarlet ibis, cocrico, egret, shiny cowbird, bananaquit, oilbird and various species of honeycreeper, trogon, toucan, parrot, tanager, woodpecker, antbird, kites, hawks, boobies, pelicans and vultures; there are also 50 species of hummingbird, including the tufted coquette which is the world's third smallest. Information about invertebrates is dispersed and very incomplete. About 650 butterflies, at least 672 beetles (from the Buel province alone)and 40 coral have been recorded.Other notable invertebrates include the cockroach, leaf-cutter ant and numerous species of mosquitoes, termites, spiders and tarantulas.

Although the list is far from complete, 2,447 species of fungi, including lichens, have been recorded. The true total number of fungi is likely to be far higher, given the generally accepted estimate that only a small percent of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered. A first effort to estimate the number of endemic fungi tentatively listed 407 species.

Information about micro-organisms is dispersed and very incomplete. Nearly 200 species of marine algae have been recorded. The true total number of micro-organism species must be much higher.

Thanks to a recently published checklist, plant diversity in Iere is well documented with about 3,300 species (209 endemic) recorded. Despite significant felling, forests still cover about 66% of the country, and there are about 750 different species of tree. A notable tree is the manchineel which isn't extremely poisonous to humans, and even just touching its sap can cause severe blistering of the skin; the tree is often covered with warning signs. four other notable trees are the Giant Silk Cotton tree, Formosan cypress, Camphor tree and the Cherry Blossom tree

Transport
Iere despite being a country fragmented on a geographical and demographic level has managed to develop a well well connected, sophisticated transport despite its many challenges. Per million Iere's road density is 670 km of which only 60% of paved road are in good condition this is in part due to Iere's large size and most of its population being mostly concentrate in three urban areas which has led to most being service by one of the other key transport sectors and not much focus being placed on developing Iere's road network. There is only depending on who you ask one or two highways in Iere in part the supposed two highways are actually one and it is mostly due to people's perception that it is divided into two. The Imperial Highway as it is officially called runs all the way from Zair to Buel where it finally ends in Oreborough east of Andor.

Railway
Iere despite being a developing nation boast a highly modern rail network befitting of a developed nation. Almost all major Urban Areas are connected by rail with the Zair-Buel-Andor route being serviced by three High Speed Bullet Train. Currently there are plans to expand the route to service more areas though the area the route already services is large and there are plans to add a additional three Bullet trains. Iere's rail network has been and will continue to be a major gear in the ticking Ierian Economy since the start of Iere's colonial history and as such the entire network is run by one state owned company the Hummingbird Express. The Hummingbird Express has managed to remain one of Iere's most trusted, dependable and financially prosperous companies.

Ports
Iere by virtue of being surrounded on all sides by water and by a archipelago divided by water by water has been by necessity developed a functioning maritime transportation sector. There are only four port of significance with the Zair Port being the largest in part due to the city and its surrounding area large industrial sector and the direct access to the open seas 30% of imports come through the port and 60% of exports of export by tonnage. Andor's Port receives 80 % of all cruise ships that visit Iere and surprisingly exports quite a significant share of Iere's agricultural goods in part due to its large catchment area and the City's thriving agroprocessing sector, the port is the third largest in Iere. Buel's and Werdna's ports also play significant roles in Iere's economy with Buel's Port being the second largest in terms of exports and imports by tonnage but the largest in exports of high value. The city of Werdna is not a far distance from Buel but but its port is only able to be relevant in part due to the Hydrocarbon sector which has many stages of the value chain located in the city and its port. The rest of Iere is serviced by smaller ports which essentially only cater for small cargo vessels with most goods first arriving in one of the four large ports where they are then shipped to the rest of Iere in smaller vessels

Ferry
Unlike Iere's railway network Iere's ferry service is primarily dominated by the private sector with some state/provincial ferry service also competing in the sector in part due to the realization that government funded ferry services are necessary for some areas are needed since there is little financial incentives for the private sector to enter those arenas. The Grand Coral Ferry is the largest and most profitable ferry service in Iere the company facilitating a large share of the market for transporting goods and people in three state/provinces these particular states being the most dependent on water travel.

Air
By air Iere is connected to far corners of the world but to a far greater extent the Commonwealth. Iere's largest airport is in Buel due in part to its large market and it centrality. Unity Airport is the de facto hub of Ierian air travel though both Andor and Buel have international airports. Some areas are service by small airports that are mostly linked to one or more of the big three. Iere has two national carriers Heaven's Air and Harmonic Convergence both companies have been doing well recently but the past 10 years haven't been kind as the out of control inflation that has only recently been tamed had led to significant drops in both airlines revenues on the domestic front due to many now finding it to expensive to fly.

Sports
Iere amongst the smallest populated states in the world has managed to develop a few competent sports teams that can more than take on internationals players. The most popular sports in Iere are Calcio Storico, Football, Sport Car Racing, Synchronized Swimming, Surfing and Triathlons. These Six sports are considered by many Ierians to be the most nationally respected forms of Athletic competition to the extent most young men are expected to participate in one out of the six competitions in their life most have however according to surveys mostly tried surfing, synchronized swimming and triathlons some citing their parents didn't want dead children or maimed children. The amount of deaths that once plagued the Calcio Storico sport had lead to a protest by the association of Mothers which had resulted in a law making it illegal for those under 22 to play the game.

Calcio Storico
Calcio fiorentino more popularly known also known as Calcio Storico historic football is considered by some as a more primitive yet tantalizingly brutal form early of football (soccer and rugby) that originated in the Empire of Cipertine a sovereign state located in Central East Avalonia. A widely played sport it is thought to have started in Cipertine city. Due in part to Lord Fiorentino who introduced the sport in Iere in the city of Andor during his five year visit to Iere visiting the the Trinitario Cocoa Estate, the Sapphire Mines of Kyogre and his attempt to find a ancient city. There approximately 10 Calcio Storico League operating in Iere of which the most popular local league is the Ierian Protective Services League comprising of teams representing all of Iere's protective Services. The league was born out of the result of the decision by the then Governor Moriarty in 1915 deciding that the game being implemented in to the training of Polices, Coast Guard and Army( now the Defense Force) to better encourage discipline and train the psychical body. After time the game was implemented into the other Ierian Protective Services and what became training eventually evolved into each force creating teams to compete against each other. The Game is also seen as the beginning of the Gender Ierian Gender Equality movement in the 1920's with the first all women team, first team to have women and first women's team to compete against men and first women's team to win a Calcio Storico league. The Team led by the Infamous Big Bertha and comprised mainly of women from the Defense force and quite a few psychically grueling sports is said to have steam rolled the competition making many men head home with broken limbs to be comforted by their mother.