Hippostania

Republic of Hippostania
Republique Hippostanienne
Hippostanian tasavalta
Republiek Hippostanië
Flag of Hippostania             Coat of arms of Hippostania
Motto: Libertas Perfundet Omnia Luce "Liberty pours light around"
National anthem: No land more beloved
Complete map of Hippostania
Capital (and largest city)	Waverley
Official language	English
Recognized languages	French, Finnish, Dutch
Demonym	Hippostanian
Government  — High Chancellor  — Prime Minister  — Speaker  — Chief Justice	Semi-presidential constitutional republic Colin Townsend (NP) Arthur Seacrest (NP) Henna Salomaa (NP) Ryan Hayden
Establishment  — Kingdom  — Empire  — Kingdom  — Republic	240 AD 1210 1678 October 19th 1800
Population  — 2011 census	326,640,076
Gross Domestic Product
— Total — GDP/capita	$36,012 billion $55,233
HDI rating	0.912 (very high)
Gini	53.7 (high)
Currency	1 Dollar (HIP) = 100 Cents
Time zone	UTC +2
Time format	24-hour clock (00.00-23.59)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the	Right
Internet TLD	.hp
Calling code	+962

See also: Hippostania travel guide

Hippostania, officially the Republic of Hippostania is a country mostly inhabited by Hippostanians, located in Pardes Elion. It is located on the west coast of Pardes Elion's western continent and borders Earth Sphere Coalition and Of The Quendi to the north and Segland to the South. It has an approximate population of 326,6 million people.

Hippostania is a semi-presidential republic, with a central government based in Waverley and local governments in 22 provinces. Around 22 million people live in the Greater Waverley area, while other large cities include Edinburgh, Croydon and Wolverhampton. The nation is an industrial and economic power, with an open, freemarket economy. The nation also holds a number of overseas possessions, and has oftentimes been the centre of a large colonial empire throughout its history. After Capeland gained its independence in Feburuary 2013, its largest colonial outpost is Țaralbă, however other notable colonies include Matthews Island and Ilhas Verdes.

Hippostania was first founded around 240AD and existed as the Hipponian Kingdom from the 3rd Century until the 13th century. In 1210, it became the Hippostanian Empire, having conquered several neighbouring nations. By 1300, the Hippostanian Empire was largest and wealthiest nation in Pardes Elion at the time. The empire was, however, obstinately isolationist and autocratic. In 1678 the empire underwent a number of reforms, which saw it open itself to the rest of the world and embrace the new enlightenment doctrine of liberalism. The Empire let go most of the nations it had conquered and renamed itself the Kingdom of Hippostania. In spite of these changes, a civil war broke out in 1794 and lasted six years. Following the conclusion of civil war, Republican forces emerged victorious over the Royalists, and in 1800 the modern Republic of Hippostania officially came into being.

Modern day Hippostania is an influential nation in both the region and the world, especially in regards to culture, politics and economics. Although economic growth has slowed in recent years, Hippostania remains a prominent member of the international community with a fair amount of global influence. In foreign relations, it maintains a mostly unilateral position.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Prehistoric period (? - 240) 1.2 Ancient Royal Period (240 - 1678) 1.3 Modern Royal Period (1678 - 1794) 1.4 Civil War (1794 - 1800) 1.5 Republican Period (1800 - present) 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 2.2 Flora and fauna 2.3 Administrative divisions 2.3.1 Provinces 2.3.2 Overseas possessions 2.3.3 Overseas military areas 3 Politics 3.1 Government 3.1.1 Executive 3.1.2 Legislative 3.1.3 Judicial 3.2 Executive departments 3.3 Foreign relations 4 Military 5 Demographics 5.1 Population 5.2 Language 5.3 Religion 5.4 Family structure 6 Infastructure 6.1 Health 6.2 Education 6.3 Transportation 6.4 Energy 7 Economy 8 Crime and law enforcement 9 Culture 9.1 Media 9.2 Food 9.3 Literature, music and the arts 9.4 Holidays 9.5 Sports

History

See also: Monarchs of Hippostania, High Chancellors of Hippostania

Prehistoric period (? - 240)

Before the establishment of the Hippostanian nation, there were many Germanic and Celtic tribes living around the mouth of the Hippo River (location of the present day capital city of Waverley). They were fairly primitive and isolated, and until the second century hadn't invented any kind of alphabet.

Ancient Royal Period (240 - 1678)

Modern Hippostania was founded in 240 when several crude Germanic and Celtic tribes that inhabited the area around the present-day city of Waverley, and descendants of slightly more advanced Frankic tribe that inhabited the shores of the Hippo Lake in the present-day province of Haute-Riviere met each other, and decided to unite and form the first united Hippostanian state, which was at the time called the Hipponian Kingdom. The kingdom, which combined the sheer numbers of the Germanic tribes with the technological advancement of the Frankish tribe quickly became a regional superpower and conquered several neighbouring areas, including the Finnish-speaking Nevan Kingdom, now the province of Nevanmaa, and the Duchy of Oranjeland, now the province of Oranjeland.

After conquering several smaller states, Hipponian Kingdom became the Hippostanian Empire in 1210. The empire conquered several neighbouring natitons, and by 1300 it was the largest and the wealthiest nation in Pardes Alion.

In 1676, Emperor George II died, and his son Edward I became the emperor. Edward I had studied the ideas of numerous enlightment philosophers. He decided to institute a full-scale reform of the Hippostanian political system, called The Great Reform. Despite the opposition, Edward instituted more freedoms, established the Parliament of Hippostania and turned Hippostania from an empire into a kingdom.

Modern Royal Period (1678 - 1794)

The Great Reform deeply divided the people of Hippostania. Some were happy about the increased liberalization, while some opposed it and wanted the authoritarian empire back. After Edward I died in 1709, his only child and heir Mary II continued his father's policies for the next four decades until 1748. After Mary died, there was much discussion if her more conservative heir, William IV would roll back the reforms, but he decided to respect his mother's and grandfather's legacy and continue the liberalization.

During the next 100 years, Hippostania became one of the most liberal countries of its time. During the early 1700's, Hippostania was home to one of the world's most famous artists and painters. This time period is often known as the Hippostanian Golden Years

Civil War (1794 - 1800)

After William IV died, Charles I inherited the throne in 1781. Charles I was radically conservative and opposed all the reforms his predecessors had established during the past century. Charles slowly but surely moved the political system back towards autocracy by abolishing the parliament and removing most of the rights the people had gained during the Great Reform. According to Charles' words, "the Great Reform was a terrible mistake, and as the King of Hippostania I stand by God's will to eradicate the menace that is destroying this country".

Charles' policies were both liked and disliked. While some people supported the return of a more autocratic and powerful king, others wanted more freedoms and the abolishment of the entire monarchy.

Hippostanian Civil War started after Charles I had reigned only eight years. Monarchists wanted to re-establish the Hippostanian Empire, while the Republicans wanted to establish a republic. The civil war lasted six years, ending in 1800. On 19th of October 1800, Hippostania was declared a republic by Adam Richard Cross, the first High Chancellor of the new republic. Charles I lost his title and all possessions and was almost executed. However, Cross allowed him to continue living in Hippostania if he renounced all his claims to the Hippostanian throne. He did, and spent the last few years of his life living on a small farmstead in Rutland.

Republican Period (1800 - present)

Royalists remained a strong force in the Hippostanian politics until the late 1800's when the movement gradually died out. During the early 1920's, there was a considerable red scare in Hippostania; hundreds of suspected communists and socialists were lynched. The government banned the Communist Party of Hippostania and Socialist Revolutionary Party of Hippostania in 1923, which had been founded five years earlier. The first red scare quietly calmed down and eventually died in the late 1920's, though left-wing ideologies remain banned to this day.

In the 1960's, the hippie movement reached Hippostania. The hippies' ideals of peace, love, recreational drug use and rejection of authorities rapidly spread among the student population. The center-left New People's Party won 137 seats in the 1968 parliamentary elections. There were several protests and strikes around the country. On July 28th 1969, a group of around 35,000 students started protesting outside the Hackney Borough Council in Waverley against the lack of public healthcare, welfare and Hippostanian intervention in Vietnam. The protest was monitored by around one hundred Military Police officers. While the protest was peaceful, for some reason that was never really identified, the military police opened fire on protesters, killing 38 and injuring over two hundred protestors in an event that is nowadays called the Hackney Massacre. While the shootings caused outrage The Military Police prevented any further protests and the New People's Party was ousted from the Parliament. The hippie movement effectively died and the Hackney Massacre created the basis for the Red Scare that dominates Hippostanian politics to this day.

In 1998, Liberal Democratic Progressive Party and Hippostania First united and formed the National Party, which still controls the Hippostanian politics today.

In 2010, A conservative right-winger Colin Townsend was elected as the High Chancellor. Townsend proceeded to oust all suspected lefists from public office, started an active campaign against all forms of leftism and and increases the government's power to detain dissidents.

Geography

Hippostania is located in the the Western Continent of Pardes Elion and borders Earth Sphere Coalition and Of The Quendi to the north and Segland to the south.

Elevation ranges from the highest peaks of the Albion Mountains (highest peak: Mount Hippo, 4320m), Lothian Mountains (highest peak: Mount Luton, 4190m) and Southern Mountains (highest peak: Mount Neuilly: 4150m) to the shores of the Western Sea.

The largest lake in Hippostania is the Hippo Lake, followed by Geuzermeer, Camden Lake, Lac Leman, Crystal Lake and Slotermeer.

Climate

Hippostanian climate is varied and for such a small country, as it has numerous climate zones. Approximately 70% of Hippostania has an oceanic climate, while there are some humid continental and subarctic areas in the north. Eastern part of the country is mostly semi-arid plain, while there's a humid subtropical and mediterranean climate in the south.

Flora and fauna

For such a small country it has fairly large number of different biomes. The shores of the Hippo River are mainly covered in temperate rainforest, Central Hippostania has widespread plains, northern part is mostly taiga, mountain areas are covered in alpine meadows and some southern areas are subtropical or mediterranean. However, Hippostania is mostly covered in temperate broadleaf forests. Most Hippostanians live in cities, mostly in the widespread suburbs around city centers.

Hippostania has the largest number of free-roaming hippopotami in the world. It is estimated that at least 12 000 hippopotami roam the shores of the Hippo River.

Administrative divisions

Hippostania is divided into twenty-two provinces that form an administrative layer between the government and municipalities. Each province has its own provincial assembly that is elected every four years. They are listed below.

Provinces

Province	Capital	Population	MP's	Code
Bas-Rivière	Argenteuil	14,785,000	24	B
Carlisleshire	Carlisle	18,510,000	28	T
Cironie	Créteil	9,940,000	16	P
Croydonshire	Croydon	17,495,000	26	Q
Fieldlands	Durham	19,125,000	28	J
Haute-Rivière	Nanterre	18,980,000	28	D
Lakeside	Lewisham	6,675,000	10	A
Lothian	Edinburgh	15,595,000	24	L
Midlands	Martintown	17,575,000	26	M
Nevanmaa	Nevanlinna	16,845,000	26	N
Norfolk	Suffolk	13,270,000	20	F
Northamptonshire	Northampton	18,305,000	28	G
Northcoast	Williamstown	14,385,000	22	C
Oranjeland	Amstelwijk	15,005,000	24	O
Rutland	Wolverhampton	17,485,000	26	R
Serenie	Nouvelle Acadie	13,775,000	22	S
Val-de-Rivière	Saint-Laurent	13,255,000	20	V
Warwickshire	Warwick	16,895,000	26	H
Waverley	Waverley	10,910,000	17	W
Westland	Moncton	14,730,000	23	E
Wokinghamshire	Wokingham	11,490,000	18	K
Worcestershire	Worcester	12,055,000	18	I

Overseas possessions

Overseas possessions are territories that are not located in Hippostania proper. While the overseas possessions have their own legislature, their citizens are not able to participate in parliamentary or high chancellor elections. They are, however, able to vote in their local assembly elections and ofter granted a fair amount of autonomy in their local affairs.

Name	Capital	Population	Origin
Matthews Island	Charlottetown	95,000	A remote, cold island located in Northern Pardes Alion, discovered by Hippostanian sailors in the early 1840's, became an overseas possession a few decades later in 1863.
Saint Robert	Galway	264,000	A small island chain with tropical rainforests in the South, Saint Robert was colonized by Hippostanian explorers in the early 1600's.
Țaralbă	Colina Mare	4,721,000	The second largest overseas possession, a mountainous area with large forests whose population speaks Romanian. Formerly an independent country, it was invaded by Hippostania in 1893-1894 and subsequently became a part of Hippostania.
Ilhas Verdes	Calheta	386,000	A green, lush island whose population speaks Portuguese. Originally discovered by Hippostanian sailors in the 1600's, became an overseas possession in 1889.

Overseas military areas

Overseas military areas or OMAs are military bases managed by the Hippostanian Armed Forces and the Department of Defense that are located in the territory of another, sovereign country. Though OMAs can be part of Hippostania, but usually they are simply leased from the host nation.

Name	Country	Service	Garrison	Origin
Rabanastre	Adwest	Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps	16,000	Officially part of the Kingdom of Adwest, this facility was leased to Hippostania by Adwest as long as Hippostania stays as a mebber of the Anti-Communism Alliance. The base is medium-sized, houses 16,000 soldiers. The base mostly acts as a naval replenishment point, though there is a small airfield in the base.
Lowesoft	Belfras	Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps	17,500	Officially part of the Kingdom of Belfras, this facility has been leased to Hippostania for 25 years. The base currently houses 17,500 soldiers and contains an airfield and a medium-sized naval facility.
Breirholm	Geadland	Air Force	400	Officially part of the Republic of Geadland, this facility was indefinately leased to Hippostania in 1966 under the Treaty of Da Hegner. The base currently houses a little over 400 soldiers, and has a 2400m long runway with several hangars. The base is relatively small, and its main purpose is to store and refuel aircraft.
Bethlehem	Luziyca	Army (logistics corps)	12,000	Bethlehem Logistics Command comprises military storage facilities and a military supply installation. In addition, the facility can be used to evacuate high-value individuals should the Luziycan capital come under a threat.
Dhenen	Luziyca	Army	10,000	This small defensive facility in rural Eastern Luziyca exists mostly to provide guards to the Namorese-Luziycan border and act as the first line of defense
Greenwich	Luziyca	Air Force	8,500	This air base is mostly used to house aircraft and provide air guard to the Namorese-Luziycan border
Keshudi	Luziyca	Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps	42,700	Officially part of the Christian Republic of Luziyca, this facility was leased to Hippostania for 99 years under the Treaty of Bethlehem in 2000. The base is currently the largest Hippostanian military base abroad, and houses over 40,000 soldiers from all branches of the Hippostanian Armed Forces with the exception of the Coast Guard. The base has three runways and naval facilities for thirty Hippostanian warships.
Kungshamn	Luziyca	Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps	31,000	Second-largest naval base in Luziyca, it is only slightly smaller than the main base in Keshudi. Can house 40,000 soldiers, though at the moment only 30,000 are stationed there. Contains several runways and naval facilities for 17 Hippostanian warships.
York	Luziyca	Army, Air Force	23,000	Largest non-naval base in Luziyca, York Joint Army Air Base's purpose is to guard the Namorese-Luziycan border and act as a first line of defense. Contains several barracks, missile sites and runways and is home to over 20,000 Army and Air Force troops.
Mossamedes	Suidwes-Afrika	Army, Air Force	6,500	Officially part of the Republic of Suidwes-Afrika, this facility has been leased to Hippostania for 20 years. Hippostania pays the lease in armaments, as Suidwes-Afrika is under an international arms embargo; this has been criticized by several foreign governments. Despite being located near a shore, there is no naval facility due to problematic siltation.
Steinfjord	Zokoria	Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps	35,200	Officially part of the Norsefire Republic of Zokoria, this facility was leased to Hippostania for 105 years in exchange for a nominal yearly payment of 2,5 million dollars. It is the second-largest Hippostanian military base in Esquarium after Keshudi, and houses over 35,000 soldiers. The base has three runways and naval facilities for 23 Hippostanian warships.

Politics

Parliament

National Party (385)      Bourgeois Party (38)      Popular Union (24)      Center Party (15)      Social Liberal Party (15)      United Green Party (12)      National Democratic Party (11)

Government

Hippostania is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic with a multi-party system.

Executive

High Chancellor of Hippostania is the head of state. He leads the foreign policy with co-operation with the Cabinet and is the Commander-in-Chief of the Hippostanian Armed Forces. High Chancellor has many notable powers, but he rarely uses them. These include the power of veto over parliamentary decisions. High Chancellor formally appoints the Prime Minister and the rest of the cabinet as proposed by the Prime Minister. High Chancellor is elected every five years, and the current high chancellor is Colin Townsend

Most of the executive power lies in the High Chancellor and the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister of Hippostania and appointed by the High Chancellor. Any minister and the cabinet as a whole however must have continuing trust of the parliament and may be voted out, resign or be replaced. The cabinet is made up of the High Chancellor, Prime Minister and the ministers for the various departments of the central government. All members of the Cabinet must be members of the Parliament of Hippostania. The current Prime Minister is Arthur Seacrest. In case the Prime Minister is removed from duty due to death or some other circumstance, its role can be delegated to the Speaker of the Parliament of Hippostania

Legislative

The unicameral Parliament of Hippostania is the supreme legislative authority in Hippostania. Its acts are not subject to judicial review. Parliamentary elections are held every five years.

Persons 21 or older, except military personnel on active duty and a few high judicial officials, are eligible for election. The regular parliamentary term is five years; however, the High Chancellor may dissolve the Parliament and order new elections at the request of the Cabinet. All socialist and communist parties have been outlawed since the Subversive and Dangerous Ideologies and Activities Restriction Act was passed in 1923.

Judicial

Constitution of Hippostania states that everyone is entitled to have their case heard by a court or an authority appropriately and without undue delay. To implement this policy, Hippostanian courts are divided into two main branches — general courts dealing with civil suits and criminal cases, and administrative courts regulating the actions of the administration and litigations between individuals and the administration. The two court systems are entirely separate, and they have no jurisdiction over one another.

The lowest level of general courts are the 874 District Courts that deal with criminal cases, civil cases and petitionary matters, such as divorce, the custody of children or debt adjustment. A district court is headed by the Chief Judge and other judges who have the title of District Judge. In certain cases, the district court may also have lay judges that the municipal councils appoint every four years. Each Lay Judge participates in a hearing approximately once a month. The cases are handled and resolved either in a session, or in chambers. In simple cases decisions can be made by notaries at the court or by trained office staff.

Trial by jury does not exist in Hippostania. In most civil cases, there are no non-professional judges involved in the process. In criminal cases, the common sense and popular sense of justice are represented by the three (or four, in complicated matters) Lay Judges. However, they participate both in the trying of fact and of law, as well as in sentencing.

Appeals from the District Courts are addressed to the 21 Courts of Appeal located in every provincial capital. Most of the cases dealt with by the Courts of Appeal are appeals against decisions of the district courts. In addition, Courts of Appeal decide, as the first instance, matters of treason and high treason, as well as certain offences in public office. Usually the Courts of Appeal are able to solve most cases, and only very rarely do cases advance to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court located in Waverley is the supreme judicial authority in Hippostania. It consists of a Chief Justice and ten associate justices who are nominated by the High Chancellor and confirmed by the Parliament. Once appointed, justices have life tenure unless they resign, retire, or are removed after impeachment. The Supreme Court acts as a constitutional court, ruling which laws are unconstitutional and as the supreme judicial court, ruling on important points of law in cases which are significant for the entire legal order, guiding the administration of justice in future cases. Decisions of Courts of Appeal may be appealed against to the Supreme Court, provided that it grants leave to appeal.

The second branch of the Hippostanian judiciary consists of 21 Administrative Courts whose task is the judicial oversight of administrative acts. A person or a corporation that believes a decision of a state or local authority relating to them is illegal is entitled to appeal against the decision. The administrative acts are recognized from the hallmark that they become binding without the consent of the other involved parties. The contracts between authorities and private persons fall usually to the jurisdiction of the general court system. In some cases where the Administrative Courts are unable to make a decision, the cases can be forwarded to the Supreme Administrative Court in Waverley.

Executive departments

See also: List of Hippostanian agencies

Executive departments in Hippostania are headed by ministers, which are part of the Cabinet led by the Prime Minister and appointed by the High Chancellor.

Department	Minister
Department of Commerce	Alan Connelly
Department of Defense	Steven Wall
Department of Education	Hayden Carey
Department of Energy	Raymond Sellers
Department of Foreign Affairs	Ryan Holloway
Department of Health and Labor	Julianna Korpisalo
Department of Homeland Security	Thomas Munhall
Department of Infrastructure and Urban Development	Gabriel Crawford
Department of Interior	Rachèl van der Harst
Department of Justice	Matthew Gallagher
Department of Transportation	Ville-Samuli Ahovirta
Department of Treasury	Jim Collins

Foreign relations

Hippostania is a reluctant member of the World Assembly. After the World Assembly attempted to condemn Hippostania in late 2011, and successfully did so with SC Resolution #107 in early 2013, there have been serious talks regarding the future of Hippostania's WA membership. Hippostania is also a member of the Anti-Communism Alliance.

Hippostanian foreign policy is very interventionist and aggressive. Ever since the start of the red scare in the early 1920's, Hippostania has had a strong policy of not co-operating with socialist or communist countries. Even though Hippostania maintains embassies in several socialist countries, it does not start trade agreements of non-aggression pacts with nations that are classified as communist.

At the moment, Hippostania maintains diplomatic relations with over 350 countries worldwide, including several hundred embassies. Several countries also have diplomatic missions in Hippostania. Below is a list of current relations between Hippostania and some other notable countries

Country	Current state of relations
Ainin	Hippostanian-Aininian Relations had always been cool but reached an all-time low after Ainin attempted to condemn Hippostania at the World Assembly for numerous events, including the banning of communism and the support of Luziyca's Central Intelligence Agency. In May 2012, the Government of Ainin had closed its embassy in Waverley, recalled Ambassador Laura Grangia and expelled the Hippostanian ambassador from Forestia.
ArghNeedAName	Relations with ArghNeedAName have fluctuated between periods of alliance and periods of strained relations. The countries have maintained strong economic ties and ArghNeedAName was until recently one of the largest importers of Hippostanian oil. Relations became strained after Colin Townsend became High Chancellor and began a repression of left-wing opposition. In August 2012 relations were thrown into crisis over Hippostanian intervention in Karenytenia and ArghNeedAName closed its embassy in Waverley, but diplomatic relations were restored later that year.
Herrebrugh	Even though relations between Herrebrugh and Hippostania had gotten warmer during the early 2000's, Hippostania's ban on communism in 2011 and subsequent founding of Herrebrughian-Hippostanian Workers' Front has severly damaged relations between the two countries
Iglesian Archipelago	Hippostania viewed Iglesian Archipelago neutrally until its government started protesting the outlawing of communism in 2011 and started claiming that Hippostania is not democratic. The relations threw even colder when Hippostania detained reporter Diana Melo for leaking classified files, although she has subsequently been released.
Imeriata	Relations between Hippostania and Imeriata have generally been quite warm. Even though Imerian government has expressed its dislike at the Prohibition, the Imerian government defended the ban on communism and have generally expressed that they like Hippostania.
Inutoland	Relations between Hippostania and Inutoland generally exist in a state of friendly but watchful neutrality. Inutolanders generally do not understand and disapprove of Hippostania's more regimented, socially conservative society, while Hippostanians tend to view Inutolanders as somewhat immoral and decadent. Relations between the two governments are somewhat better than this might suggest, however, as both nations are fairly enthusiastic traders, and Inutoland's determinedly neutral foreign policy smooths a lot of ruffled feathers. Inutoland is more wary of Hippostania's aggressive, interventionist foreign policy, but so long as their eye is directed away from Inutoland and her interests, the two nations maintain a wary friendship.
Kington Langley	Despite wide ranging ideological differences and minor diplomatic disputes, Kington Langley and Hippostania have always maintained a mutual respect for each other, friendly relations and strong economic ties. The current Kingtonian policy of neutrality however has prevented relations expanding further through military alliances and defence agreements. Kington Langley was once a haven for Hippostanian communist exiles during the dictatorship period between 1932-2008.
Knootoss	I dunno, positive I suppose?
Lanos	Coming soon/under construction.
Luziyca	The Hippostanian government views Luziyca as a reliable ally and maintained warm relations with the Luziycan government. However, the Hippostanian government began to see Luziyca as a burden rather than an ally, and began distancing itself from the Luziycan government. In May 2012, the Hippostanian government issued an official condemnation, recalled the ambassador and established and embargo against Luziyca, but in recent months has appeared to be reducing their embargo.
Namor	Relations between Hippostania and the People's Republic of Namor are moderate to cold. Hippostania, despite recognizing Namor's Liberationist government, also recognizes the Republic of Namor (in exile) as "the legitimate government of the Namorese people." The Namorese government has also condemned Hippostania's ban on leftism, and has imposed a slight embargo on Hippostania, prohibiting weapons to be traded between the two countries.
Radiatia	Since the fall of Radiatia's communist regime in 1992, relations between Hippostania and the Radiatian Federation have thawed considerably. Hippostania was even visited by Radiatia's first Prime Minister, Skortch Takita. Since then, Radiatia has maintained a mostly warm diplomatic stance towards Hippostania, with a healthy trading relationship.
Valcluse	Valcluse is an important trade partner of Hippostania, especially after several nations hostile to Hippostania established a trade embargo in response to the outlawing of socialist parties. Both nations are considered to be francophone countries, and there is a cultural exchange program between Hippostania and Valcluse
Voerdeland	Voerdish government has been one of the strongest critics of the Hippostanian government and its economic, social and foreign policy, even before the foreign policy. Voerdeland also recently established an extremely high tax on all Hippostanian products, and the relations have been extremely chilly ever since.
Zokoria	Relations between Zokoria and Hippostania have always been warm and friendly, probably due to their economic policies, strong defense force, and their staunch anti-communism. The election of Colin Townsend in 2010 brought Hippostanian-Zokorian relations to an all-time high. Despite being a predominantly atheist nation and their socially liberal policies, Zokoria maintains a mostly warm, friendly stance towards Hippostania and is considered as one of its biggest trade partners and allies.

Military

See also: Carrapah Lake Military Installation

Hippostanian Armed Forces are divided into five branches; Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. The armed forces rely strongly on heavy equipment and large numbers, and mobility is often secondary. Hippostania is nuclear-armed and also possesses large amounts of chemical and biological weapons. Hippostania spends nearly 35% of its budget on military. As such, Hippostania's military is both large and modern at the same time. High Chancellor of Hippostania automatically holds the title of commander-in-chief of the Hippostanian Armed Forces.

Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime or when there are not enough volunteers during peacetime. Hippostanian forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's thirteen active aircraft carriers, and Marine Expeditionary Units at sea with the Navy's aircraft carriers.

Hippostanian Army is the largest component of the Armed Forces, and is also the most well-funded one. It relies almost entirely on superior equipment and numbers, and quite often lacks in strategy, mobility and manouverability. At the moment, there are approximately 1,8 million full time personell working in the Army. Its task, as listed by the Hippostanian Constitution is to preserve the peace and security and provide for the defense of the Hippostania and overcome any nations responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of Hippostania.

Hippostanian Navy is the second-largest component of the Armed Forces. It is a blue-water navy and also largely relies on heavy ships and outnumbering the enemy, although recently the Navy has purchased several, highly manouverable littoral combat vessels. Hippostanian Navy's functions comprise sea control, power projection and nuclear deterrence, in addition to sealift duties and maintaining freedom of the seas. At the moment it operates over 500 ships, ranging from small minesweepers to large aircraft carriers

Hippostanian Air Force, although not as higly funded as the Army and the Navy, is still a vital part of the Armed Forces. Like other branches of the armed forces, it relies heavily on large equipment such as strategic bombers and air superiority. It is the lead agency to maintain control of Hippostania's airspace.

Hippostanian Marine Corps is relatively small compared to the Army, Navy and Air Force, and in fact it is the second-smallest branch of the Armed Forces. Unlike the three larger forces, the Marine Corps rarely use heavy equipment and strongly rely on mobility as their main tactic. The Marines are more heavily trained than regular soldiers, and as such, the marines are considered to be extremely professional. The Marine Corps also functions as Hippostania's primary amphibious force.

Hippostanian Coast Guard is the smallest branch of the Armed Forces. It mostly functions as a small-scale green water navy. It has roles in maritime homeland security, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and the maintenance of river, intracoastal and offshore aids to navigation. While most military services are either at war or training for war, the Coast Guard is deployed every day. With a decentralized organization and much responsibility placed on even the most junior personnel, the Coast Guard is frequently lauded for its quick responsiveness and adaptability in a broad range of emergencies.

Hippostania maintains a sizable arsenal of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. Hippostania has not signed any treaties regarding the use of such weapons, and has stated that it will use these weapons of mass destructions in case its sovereignty is threatened.

Hippostania also has an extensive civil defense program to protect civilians in case of an invasion or a nuclear attack.

Demographics

Largest urban areas in Hippostania
Waverley Edinburgh Croydon		City	Population	Province		Urban area	Population	Province	Wolverhampton Nouvelle Acadie Carlisle
	1	Waverley	12,910,000	Waverley	21	Wokingham	2,392,500	Wokinghamshire
	2	Edinburgh	7,514,500	Lothian	22	Richmond	2,248,000	Fieldlands
	3	Croydon	5,710,500	Croydonshire	23	Suffolk	2,156,500	Norfolk
	4	Wolverhampton	5,551,500	Rutland	24	Avonsmouth	1,987,500	Warwickshire
	5	Nouvelle Acadie	5,456,000	Serenie	25	Lelystad	1,928,000	Oranjeland
	6	Carlisle	5,363,000	Carlisleshire	26	Logan	1,906,000	Wokinghamshire
	7	Moncton	5,157,000	Westland	27	Haymarket	1,813,000	Rutland
	8	Williamstown	5,011,500	Northcoast	28	Brighton	1,794,500	Northcoast
	9	Nevanlinna	4,897,500	Nevanmaa	29	Stanstead	1,775,000	Carlisleshire
	10	Amstelwijk	4,583,500	Oranjeland	30	Leeuwerward	1,664,500	Oranjeland
	11	Martintown	4,344,000	Midlands	31	Milton Keynes	1,628,500	Fieldlands
	12	Durham	4,119,500	Fieldlands	32	Tapulikaupunki	1,599,500	Nevanmaa
	13	Nanterre	3,950,500	Haute-Rivière	33	Epping	1,561,500	Rutland
	14	Northampton	3,820,500	Northamptonshire	34	Montrouge	1,528,500	Serenie
	15	Warwick	3,555,000	Warwickshire	35	Alexandria	1,478,000	Midlands
	16	Saint-Laurent	3,422,500	Val-de-Rivière	36	New Somerset	1,465,500	Northcoast
	17	Sudport	3,003,500	Serenie	37	Chatillon	1,243,500	Serenie
	18	Creteil	2,939,500	Cironie	38	Bradford	1,021,000	Lothian
	19	Argenteuil	2,641,500	Bas-Rivière	39	Kingsgrove	989,000	Worcestershire
	20	Worcester	2,455,500	Worcestershire	40	Lewisham	977,000	Lakeside

Population

Race	Population	%
Total	326,640,077	100,0%
White	292,016,229	89,4%
Black	15,678,723	4,8%
Asian	9,472,562	2,9%
Hispanic	6,859,442	2,1%
Other	2,613,121	0,8%

Most Hippostanians, around four-fifths of the population are of Caucasian descent. Descendants of more advanced Frankish tribes that started moving to Hippostania in the 300's form approximately 10% of the white population, while remaining white population are mostly descendants of the more primitive Germanic and Celtic tribes who lived in the area before the Franks arrived.

Around 12% of Hippostanian are of African descent. They are almost all descendants of slaves who were brought from Africa until slavery was outlawed in 1684.

A notable portion of the population consists of immigrants that gave immigrated to Hippostania for various reasons including hope for a better life and political discrimination in their home countries. These immigrants and their children comprise almost 6% or around forty million of the total population.

Language

Hippostania has one official language, English and three recognized languages which are used in specific provinces, Dutch, Finnish and French. English is the native language of approximately 80% of Hippostanians, and almost all Hippostanians can speak it fluently.

French is the first recognized language, and it is mostly spoken in the southern half of the country. Approximately 9% of Hippostanians list French as their native language, and nearly 80% of Hippostanians can speak it at an intermediate level.

Finnish is the second recognized language, and it is mostly spoken in the province of Nevanmaa. Approximately 6% of Hippostanians list Finnish as their native language, and 25% of Hippostanians can speak it at an intermediate level.

Dutch is the third recognized language, and it is mostly spoken in the province of Oranjeland. Approximately 5% of Hippostanians list Dutch as their native language, and 18% of Hippostanians can speak it at an intermediate level

Religion

Hippostania is a secular country, and freedom of religion is a constitutional right. The church and the state have been separated ever since the republican revolution of 1800, and the constitution prohibits the state from endorsing or supporting a deity or a religion.

Approximately 26% of Hippostanians considered themselves to be atheists, agnostics or irreligious. The most popular religion is Christianity practiced by 69% of the population. Major christian branches include Hipponicism (59%), Lutheranism (5%), Catholicism (2%), Orthodoxy (1%), Lutheran Catholicism (1%) and other variants (1%). The second-most popular religion is islam at 2%, judaism at 1%, buddhism at 1% and hinduism at 1%.

While a majority of Hippostanians follow a some kind of religion, most Hippostanians are fairly irreligious. Only around 16% of Hippostanians claim that religion is very important to them, and 52% claim that religion means anything at all to them

Family structure

37% of Hippostanians over the age 18 were married, 4% were widowed, 19% were divorced, and 32% had never been married. Women now mostly work outside the home. Hippostanian family life is centered on the nuclear family andelations with the extended family are often rather distant.

Civil unions for same-sex couples were established in 1987 and same-sex marriage was legalized in 1994. Adoption rights for same-sex couples were granted shortly afterwards, and as of 2011 a large portion of Hippostanian children have homosexual parents.

The Hippostanian teenage pregnancy rate, 26,4 per 1,000 women, is the fairly high compared to the rest of the nations around Hippostania. Liberal critics claim that this is attributed to abstinence taught in all Hippostanian schools, while conservatives claim that it is caused by continued immorality and liberal influence supported by the government. However, abortions are legal until the very moment the baby is born.

Infastructure

Health

Life expectancy is 74 years for women and 71 years for men. Increasing obesity in Hippostania and health improvements elsewhere have contributed to lowering the country's rank in life expectancy. Approximately one-sixth of the adult population is obese and an additional fifth is overweight.

Health care in Hippostania is almost fully privatized and is not universal. There are no government-operated hospitals or public medical insurance, the state only pays the medical insurances of civil servants. The state also gives small trinkets of money to private hospitals and clinics, so they will deal with the most acute and simple injuries or when a patient's life is in immidiate danger. Approximately 19% of the population is uninsured.

Education

See also: Education in Hippostania

Most pre-tertiary education is arranged at municipal level. Even though many schools were started as private schools, today only around 29% students are enrolled in private schools. Pre-school education is rare and is not officially supported by the government. Formal education is usually started at the age of 7. The elementary school takes normally 6 years and the junior high school takes 3 years.

The flexible curriculum is set by the Department of Education. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After junior high school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to vocational schools or high schools. Vocational schools prepare for professions. Academically oriented high schools have higher entrance requirements and specifically prepare for matriculation exams and tertiary education. Graduation from either formally qualifies for tertiary education. Education in public high school and vocational schools is formally free, but students often have to purchase their own books and study material.

In tertiary education, two mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented polytechnics and the research-oriented universities. Universities and polytechnics are not free and have tuition fees.

Transportation

See also: Motorways in Hippostania, Road signs in Hippostania, Vehicle registration plates of Hippostania

Transportation in Hippostania is facilitated by road, air, rail, and water networks. The vast majority of passenger travel occurs by automobile or train for shorter distances and airplane for longer distances. Passenger transportation is dominated by a network of over 1,1 million kilometers of motorways which is pervasive and highly developed by global standards. Passenger transportation is dominated by passenger vehicles (including cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles), which account for 53% of passenger-miles traveled. The remaining 47% was handled by planes, trains, and buses. As of 2003, there were 504 automobiles per 1,000 Hippostanians.

Silverlines is the largest intercity bus company in Hippostania, with routes in all parts of the country. There are also many smaller regional bus companies, many of which use the terminal and booking facilities provided by Silver Express. Intercity bus is, in most cases, the least expensive way to travel long distances in Hippostania.

The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated since 1942, while most major airports are publicly owned. Flag carrier of Hippostania is Hippostanian Airlines, and it is privately owned. Other major airlines include Air Waverley, Eastern, ExpressAir, Merina Air, Republic Airways, Quick and Western.

Passenger trains are the dominant mode of transportation after private automobiles. Hippostania has a fairly large high-speed rail network and most of the track network in Hippostania is electrified. The rail network was privatized in 1979 and is nowadays operated by several different operators that operate under the brand Hippostanian Railways.

Energy

Hippostanian energy market is 36,000 terawatt hours per year. Energy consumption per capita is 7.9 tons of oil equivalent per year, one of the highest rates in the world. In 2010, 64% of this energy came from nuclear power, 24% from petroleum, 6% from coal, and 5% from natural gas. The remainder, less than 1%, was supplied by renewable energy sources.

Hippostania has not signed is committed the Kyoto protocol, and hasn't implemented any laws supporting or encouraging biodiversity, low emission standards, recycling or the use of renewable energy.

Economy

Hippostania has a capitalist market economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.

The private sector was estimated to constitute 89.7% of the economy, with government activity accounting for 6.8% and local government activity the remaining 3,5%. While its economy has reached a postindustrial level of development and its service sector constitutes 68% of GDP, Hippostania remains an industrial power. The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is manufacturing. Chemicals, petroleum products, foodstuffs, computer parts, automobiles and electronics are the leading manufacturing fields. Hippostania is one of the largest producers of oil in the region; there are ample reserves of oil off the shore of Hippostania and especially in the plains of Central Hippostania. Hippostania is also one of the largest producers of chromium, coal, copper, iron, nickel and uranium. While agriculture accounts for just under 3% of GDP, Hippostania is one of the the world's top producers of corn, fruits and meat. Tourism is also a large source of income for many people, although the amount of tourists entering the country has lessened after travel restrictions were put in place by several countries hostile to Hippostania.

In 2011, Hippostanian labor force comprised 295.5 million people. The Hippostanian government employs 6,2 million people in total. The largest private employment sector is health care with 28.4 million people. Only 0,2% of workers are unionized, as employers have a full right to fire workers who are union members, which they in most cases do. The largest union is the Hippostanian Confederation of Employers, which promotes employers' rights.

Hippostania has an extremely large income inequality and has a whoopping score of 53,7 on the Gini coefficient, which is even higher than the score of the United States, Mexico and Brazil. However, the government or the people of Hippostania rarely see this as a problem, as it is considered that everyone should succeed or fail based upon their own merits and achievements.

Currency of Hippostania is the Hippostanian Dollar. One Hippostanian Dollar is worth approximately 1.302 NSD. Total gross domestic product of Hippostania is 36,012,020,000,000 USD (36 trillion) and GDP per capita is 55,233 USD.

Major Hippostanian corporations include Unibank, National Credit, Bank of Waverley and Collins & Shaw (banking), Hippoil and Avalon (oil and gas), Aucarre, Saveland and Aclass (retail), Toimi and Westecia (electronics), Averea and Vale International (financial services), Mobifone (telecommunications), Ward's (food processing), Couriex (courier services), Mister Fat's Chicken Shack (restaurant services) and Oliwell-Hayes (pharmaceuticals).

Even though there is a fairly large embargo against Hippostania by several left-wing countries that has somewhat affected the Hippostanian economy, the embargo is a minor nuisance at best due to the large amount of other trade partners.

Crime and law enforcement

See also: Anzère Correctional Detention Facility

Law enforcement in Hippostania is primarily the responsibility of local police departments, with National Police providing broader services. National agencies such as the National Investigative Agency, Hippostanian Customs and Border Protection and Prohibition Enforcement Agency have specialized duties. At the national level jurisprudence operates on a common law system. Provincial courts conduct most criminal trials; national courts handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the provincial systems. The constitution has a special section called the Prohibition which prohibits all recreational drugs.

Among developed nations, Hippostania has below-average levels of violent crime and particularly low levels of gun violence and homicide, as private gun ownership is banned There were 0,6 murders per 100,000 persons in 2010, 0,02% fewer than in 2000.

Hippostania has one of the highest documented incarceration rates and total prison populations in the region. At the start of 2009, more than 2.3 million people were incarcerated, more than one in every 200 adults. The current rate is about two times the 1980 figure. African American males are jailed at about four times the rate of white males and two times the rate of Hispanic males. Hippostania's high rate of incarceration is largely due to sentencing and drug policies.

Capital punishment is sanctioned in Hippostania for certain severe crimes including treason, assasination, murder and prohibition violation. Since 1945, there have been more than 1,500 executions.

Culture

Hippostanian culture is considered the most individualistic in the world. It is believed that everyone should fail and succeed based on their own efforts, and this ideal can be seen in the Hippostanian politics and culture even today. Hippostanians tend greatly to value socioeconomic achievement and being ordinary or average is generally seen as a negative attribute.

One of the biggest differences when Hippostania is compared to other nations is the Prohibition. Ever since the Prohibition was first started in 1801 all recreational drugs, including but not limited to alcohol and tobacco, have been banned and the punishments for using, trafficking or handling drugs are extremely harsh; breaking the prohibition is one of the few cases when it is possible to be sentenced to death. The prohibition is monitored by the Prohibition Enforcement Agency.

National personification is Merina. He is often displayed as a red-haired woman in her early twenties, wearing a blue-white-orange robe and carrying a torch.

Media

Hippostania has a fairly large media industry with several large TV and radio stations around the country. The state operated Hippostanian Broadcasting Company, usually known as HBC, is the largest broadcaster in the country. It operates four channels, HBC 1 for news and documentaries, HBC 2 for entertainment, HBC 3 for French, Finnish and Dutch language programming and HBC News for around-the-clock news. Even though HBC is state-owned, all its channels feature advertisements.

There are several other TV channels in Hippostania and they are all privately owned. The largest channels beside HBC are the Hippostanian News Network, TV4, Channel Five, SixTV, SEVEN, United Broadcasting Company and TeleHippostania

Major newspaper include Daily Herald, Waverley Post and The Sovereign, which are all right-leaning.

Food

Mainstream Hippostanian cuisine is similar to that in other Western countries. Traditional Hippostanian cuisine is fairly simple and relies heavily on meat, potatoes and several common vegetables and herbs. Chicken-bacon bagels, steak frites, blueberry pies and chocolate muffins are distinctively Hippostanian foods.

Fast food consumption has sparked health concerns. During the 1980s and 1990s, Hippostanians' caloric intake rose 24%; frequent dining at fast food outlets is associated with what public health officials call the Hippostanian "obesity epidemic". Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular, and sugared beverages account for 12% of Hippostanian caloric intake.

Literature, music and the arts

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the most known Hippostanian author at the time was Evan Sutherland, who is nowadays the national author of Hippostania. During his lifetime, he wrote several novels, poems and the national epic of Hippostania, Waves of the Ocean. He also composed some symphonies that were strongly criticized at his time but are now considered to be the pearls of Hippostanian musical history. He is portrayed in the 100-dollar Hippostanian Dollar bill.

Another important Hippostanian is Johannes Hendrikus Vink, a composer from the small town of Jolinkse Vlaktes in Oranjeland. He wrote several patriotic several in the early 1900's, including the current anthem of Hippostania, Greater Nation of the Free.

Holidays

Below is a list of all the public holidays in Hippostania:

Date	Name	Working day
January 1st	New Year's Day	No
January 6th	Epiphany	No
February 14th	Valentine's Day	Yes
April 1st	April Fools' Day	Yes
Moveable feast	Easter Day	No
May 1st	Freedom Day	No
June 24th	Midsummer Eve	No
October 19th	National Day	No
October 31st	Halloween	Yes
November 11st	Veterans Day	No
November 23rd	Prohibition Day	No
December 13rd	Saint Lucia's Day	Yes
December 24th	Christmas Eve	No
December 25th	Christmas Day	No
December 26th	Boxing Day	No

Sports

Association football has been regarded as the national sport since the late 19th century, and it is also the most popular sport. The 29 best football teams compete each other in the Hippostanian Premier League. Basketball and baseball are the country's next two leading professional team sports. Boxing and horse racing were once the most watched individual sports, but they have been eclipsed by golf and auto racing. Tennis and many outdoor sports are popular as well. Hockey is played widely at the youth and amateur levels, but interest in hockey on a professional level is scarce.