I originally posted a version of this on the NationStates forum, but I realized I should really have it here, at my true home, so literate people can read it.
http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/...nation=karakas
Population (NationStates.net): 1.993 billion
For roleplaying purposes, Karakas' population can be considered between 250 and 280 million
Karakas has been inhabited by humans since at least the early Iron Age. Settlement by Numenorean freelancers began in 1585. In 1591, Ar-Pharazon the Golden designated Karakas as a crown colony, and settlement increased. Native peoples were pushed off of the coastal plains and forests in the western parts of the country.
In this period, the city of Hammerheim was settled by Numenorean renegades, who often clashed with crown troops over trade routes and resources. Hammerheim's defiance set a pattern that would continue up to the 19th century. Adailton was inhabited, but played a much less important role than it would eventually; the colony's administrative center was Cirith Anor (now known as Vina del Mar).
As Numenorean power declined in the 17th century, the colony of Karakas found itself more and more on its own economically and militarily. When war with Chimerican barons loomed, the government admitted a large number of Spanish- and Serbian-speaking mercenaries to bolster its armies (previously, only Numenoreans had been allowed to carry weapons in Karakas). After the conflict, they were granted citizenship - a move which would have a major impact on the country's direction.
Nationalist movements began appearing in the early 18th century, driven by discontent at government policies. By now, speakers of Spanish, English, and Serbian outnumbered the descendants of colonists, and the principalities of Pendelhaven and the Plains States (the City of Karakas), essentially Dominarian entities, were enjoying increased influence. Nonetheless, the government was still dominated by Numenorean speakers, and the country was still technically a vassal of Numenor.
The beginning of the republican era was marked by yet another Hammerheim rebellion. In 1778, Hammerheim's baron Alvaro Ithilien tore up the treaty that placed his city in a subordinate position to Cirith Anor. Several other districts followed suit, with the rebels concentrated in the north and center of Karakas. The charismatic Ithilien declared himself to be the leader of the uprising, though in truth there were a number of competing militias, organized largely around language groups.
Twelve years of intermittent warfare followed. For the most part, the War of Independence was a guerrilla war, as both sides, lacking large numbers of troops, attempted to outmaneuver and terrorize the opposition into submission. A ceasefire was called in November 1788 as an especially hard winter set in. The peace conference focused on issues of reform, including taxes, provicial autonomy, and a national constitution.
The Republic of Karakas was proclaimed on April 9, 1790, and the nation's subordination to Numenor was declared null and void. Ironically, the first president of the republic was a Numenorean-speaker, Simo Tar-Palantir.
The early history of the Republic was turbulent. Clashes between Serbian-speaking and Numenorean-speaking Karakasians erupted intermittently over farmland in the nation's western areas. Yet another short-lived secession attempt by the city of Hammerheim in 1817 was brought to a violent end by central government troops who razed the city and killed at least 3,000 Hammerheimers. The armies of the Plains States and of Pendelhaven, which had been kept separate from the national army by the provincial governors, were not integrated until 1897.
Internationally the situation was more calm. Other than border skirmishes with Chimerican elements in the northern mountain passes, Karakas' most noteworthy international involvement was the occupation of the nearby island of Kyralia from 1876 to 1958. At Kyralia's independence on Christmas 1958, the Karakasian government withdrew from all the island's territories, except the city of Adailton, located on a string of small islands in the Deepwater Black strait. The mainland government built the city into one of the East's major commercial ports. This led friction that has threatened on three occasions to provoke an open war. Each time, Kyralia's communist government was dissuaded by Karakas' superior military power. In August 2003 Karakas and Kyralia began negotiations intended to improve relations between them.
The national languages are Spanish and English; speakers of Serbian, Minangkabau, Numenorean, and Amjadi are also resident.
Government
Karakas is a presidential republic, with a unicameral Assembly (100 seats). Both the president and Assembly members are elected popularly, and each serve five-year terms.
The governmental system was suspended on the collapse of the original constitution and provisional direct rule by corporation was instituted. This system was in place for almost eleven months, with a new constitution being implemented on November 11 2003.
Major political parties:
Karakas Nationalist Party (58 seats in current Assembly)
Democratic Party of Karakas (34 seats in current Assembly)
Karakas Green Party (4 seats in current Assembly)
The Communist Party of Karakas was banned in 1965, after the Kyralian government was accused of using it as a fifth column against the mainland.
Economy
Overview:
Karakas is a developed free-market economy. The collapse of its founding consitution in January 2003 ushered in months of provisional corporate rule, in which the economy grew steadily but crime increased and consumer confidence faltered. The situation stabilized after the introduction of the new constitution.
Major Industries:
Information technology, banking, publishing, agriculture (wheat), armaments.
GDP: $17,186,982,735,354
GDP per Capita: $9,714
Military
Percentage of GDP Spent on Defense: 4.77%
Military Budget: $819,402,286,075
Branches: Army, Navy / Marines, Air Force, National Guard
Available manpower (total for all branches): 1.2 million (includes reserves and support staff)
Comments on Military: Karakas' armed forces have been set up over the last fifty years to adopt either a defensive or short-range offensive posture, ie. to protect its territory or conduct short-term operations in New Griffith, Noosland, or Kyralia.
Karakas is also able to project power reasonable distances into the seas to its east, with a kill range approximately as far east as Zetaris.
Doctrinal developments since the fall of the Apolyton Axis and the associated increase in piracy and warlordism have been designed to deal with these issues. In particular, President Djordjevic has ordered construction of a fourth aircraft carrier to help control the sea lanes near Sheepsta leading to Alecrast.
I should probably get around to posting my version of this, but I can never be bothered finishing it off and collating it.
I know first-hand how hard it can be to get motivated.
