Kitoko

Kitoko, officially the Ki-Ki Vundrepublyk of the Mukidi Kitoko, is a sovereign city-state in northwestern Kesh. It lies about six degrees north of the equator. The bulk of the nation’s territory is composed of a narrow peninsula and several small islands at the mouth of the Bay of Kongowae, totaling approximately 812 square kilometers. It has the highest population density of any nation in the world. The country has 7.5 million residents, 58% of whom have Kiki citizenship. There are two official languages, Tipsprek and Ki-Kongo, with Tipsprek being the lingua franca. Several other regional languages are also spoken in Kitoko, though they are not used for official business.

Kitoko was established in 1588 as a trading post of the Holy Tiperyn Realm. Originally a rural region, the island is now one of the world’s largest centers of trade and commerce. It is consistently ranked among the world's most expensive places to live, but residents enjoy healthcare, housing, education, and internet speeds that are among the best in the world.

Kitoko is a semi-presidential republic with a unique system of bicameral legislature. Modern Kiki elections are generally considered to be free and fair, though the ability to vote and participate in government is limited to full Citizens.

Etymology
The colloquial name of “Kitoko” is derived from the name of the peninsula that makes up the majority of the territory, “Mukidi Kitoko”, which literally translates to “beautiful shores”.

History

 * Early civilizations 900-1200
 * Major trade hub by late 12th century
 * Queen Endesha
 * Discovery by Tiperyn in ~1502
 * Colony in 1588
 * Sir Michael Branley
 * Contribution to Grand Campaigns
 * Racially charged draft riots
 * Realm Dominion in 1926
 * Contribution to Kesh War
 * Full independence in ~1960
 * 1966-1972 racial tensions (more riots!) and subsequent reforms
 * 1980s-present economic rise

Government and politics
Kitoko has a semi-presidential republican form of government. The Constitution of Kitoko establishes the structure, authority, and responsibility of the government. There are 27 boroughs subordinate to the central government, responsible for managing local affairs such as zoning rights and emergency services.

The central government is made up of three branches:
 * Executive: The Lord Mayor is head of state and the military’s commander-in-chief. They hold the authority to veto laws and issue emergency proclamations, subject to legislative override. The Prime Minister is the head of government, and is responsible for the administration and enforcement of laws and policies issued by the legislature. They also hold similar veto and emergency powers to the President.
 * Legislative: The unique bicameral legislature is responsible for establishing laws, approving budgets, and approving appointments of certain government officials like judges and police chiefs. The lower house, the Senate, has 108 members, with four being elected from each borough. The upper house, the Quorum, has exactly 99 members, all of whom are selected randomly from the pool of eligible citizens.
 * Judiciary: Originally, there was no centralized judiciary in Kitoko. Control of the central government was limited to the ability to approve or reject the appointments of judges. In 1987 a centralized court system was established, with a Supreme Court of Appeals that seats one member from every borough.

Participation in government is limited to full citizens, those who have completed a term of public service, either in the military or one of several civilian services. Presidential elections and most Senate elections are based on a first-past-the-post system, while 13 of the 27 boroughs use a ranked-choice voting system. The first such system was implemented in 2001, with calls for a similar system to be adopted nationally increasing in recent years.

Geography
Kitoko is on the northwestern coast of Kesh, on the south side of the Bay of Kongowae. It is bordered to the south by the Iapetus Ocean and to the north by [unknown]. The majority of the territory’s 812 km² of land area consists of the Mukidi Kitoko peninsula, with the remaining 13% being Kongoway Island and over a hundred smaller islands. Jerimoth Hill is the highest point in the territory, standing 247 meters above sea level.

Land reclamation projects have significantly increased Kitoko’s land area, from 650 km² in the 1960s to 812 km² by 2020, an increase of approximately 25%. Shortages in the type of soil best suited for use in land reclamation projects have forced the Kiki government to switch to using polders for land reclamation, a more expensive and time-intensive process.

Economy
Kitoko has a highly developed mixed economy, historically dominated by entrepôt trade. The Kiki economy is widely regarded as being open and business-friendly. It is one of the largest export and import markets in the world, trading a larger value of goods than its gross domestic product. Its location makes it ideally suited for use as a transfer hub, with its cargo port and airport ranking among the busiest in the world.

In addition to trade, Kitoko has one of the region’s largest industrial economies. The petroleum, electronics, and shipbuilding industries are the three largest employers in this sector. The Kitoko Offshore Petroleum Exploration Corporation is a state-owned company responsible for the bulk of oil extraction and refinement, with foreign corporations and smaller entities making up about 10% of the market. Service sector fields such as telecommunications and banking also make up a sizable portion of the economy, and the overall employment rate is low thanks to various government initiatives.

With little in the way of arable land or natural resources, Kitoko is forced to import most food and raw materials. The territory does play host to a fairly large fishing industry, however, and recent initiatives in urban farming have slightly reduced the nation’s dependence on imported food.

Infrastructure
Kitoko has a comprehensive transportation network leveraging road, rail, and water infrastructure. Over ninety percent of commuters use public transportation, as personal vehicle ownership is heavily discouraged through a system of taxes and electronic tolls.

The state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) operates the majority of transport services, either directly or via contractors. An extensive passenger rail system scours the territory, serving 42% of all public transit passengers in the city. The network’s oldest and most travelled line, the Yellow Line, is the only subway in the world to use bi-level trains. In addition to the rail network, the MTA also operates tram and bus services, and has partnerships with private taxicab and ferry companies.

With a dense population and few natural sources of freshwater, Kitoko is forced to import water from neighboring countries. The central government considers water to be an issue of national importance, and began implementing a water independence plan that is scheduled to be complete by 2040. To this end the government has emphasized the importance of water conservation, with steep penalties for over-use and tax credits for rainwater collection.

Nearly every home in Kitoko has broadband internet access, with a slim majority being connected fully or in part by fiber-optic connections. Electricity is mostly generated locally from natural gas and fossil fuel plants, though these plants are increasingly being replaced by renewable sources like the Kitoko Offshore Wind Project.

Demographics
Owing to its history as a global crossroads, Kitoko is a diverse and cosmopolitan metropolis. The city-state has a long history of international immigration and approximately a third of its population is foreign-born. Historically several of the boroughs have been dominated by one particular ethnic group, though government housing policies have led to a more even distribution in the modern era.

Education
Education in Kitoko is managed by the Agency for Public Education, which operates the city’s public schools and manages the accreditation of private institutions. All children are required to attend school from age six, with completion of secondary education being required to complete the public service necessary to achieve full Citizenship.

Unusually, the territory’s native language is not the primary language taught in schools. Instruction instead focuses on Tipsprek, the language used for most business and trade, with Ki-Kongo being taught as part of a secondary “mother tongue” curriculum. Completion of this curriculum is not necessary to graduate but is highly encouraged, as demonstrating proficiency in Ki-Kongo is a requirement for earning full Citizenship.

Kitoko is home to over a hundred institutions of higher learning. All schools are registered with the APE. Instead of operating public universities, the APE fully subsidizes 32% of students enrolled in higher learning institutions, with 85% of students receiving some degree of scholarship support.

Public health and safety
The Kitoko Public Health Corporation (PHC) is responsible for operating the territory’s healthcare system. Primarily funded by its stake in OPEC, the PHC offers subsidized healthcare to the majority of residents, with Citizens receiving fully subsidized care at no out-of-pocket cost. The PHC operates 81 public hospitals and outpatient clinics, and has contracts with several private nursing homes and specialist facilities.

Each borough has its own law enforcement, firefighting, and EMS departments, with inter-department coordination being managed by the Agency for Public Safety. The APS also operates several of its own assets, including the Special Assault Service, the Marine Safety Squadron, and the Air Rescue Brigade.

Culture
Kitoko has a culture that is a mix of Artemian and Keshian influences. Despite the vast majority of the population being ethnically Kiki, Kitoko has developed an identity distinct from the rest of the region. Traditional values emphasizing family and religion are blended with concepts of common law and individual rights inherited from Tiperyn.

The territory plays host to a number of sports and recreation clubs as well as several major international events. Association football, rowing, and hockey are the three most popular sports in Kitoko. Kitoko has been a member of the Anterran International Football Association since 1956, and the semi annual Kiki Grand Prix held on Kongoway Island draws participants from around the world.

Kitoko’s culture has also been influenced by its nature as a trade hub, with foreign workers bringing influences from their homelands to the cosmopolitan city-state. This is especially obvious when looking at the territory’s cuisine, which features local spins of common staples from around the world. Influences from Avalonia, Tiperyn, and South Kesh are especially prominent, and the territory’s largest flaubyt chain specializes in cuisine from the Hummingbird Isles.