Koskiya
| The United Republic of Koskiya Об'єднана Республіка Коскії (Livarian) | |
| Flag | Coat of arms |
|---|---|
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| Motto: Two Peoples into One | |
| Anthem: As the Talekhzolin’ bird soars | |
| Locator map | |
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| Capital city | Tepetak |
| Largest city | Tepetak |
| Official language | Livarian |
| Other languages | Zatxunepli |
| Ethnic group | |
| Religion | Peratolian Orkanan |
| Demonym(s) | Koskian |
| Government | |
| Government Type | Unitary presidential republic |
| President | Daryn Chernitepliy |
| Chancellor | Viktoriya Melnyk-Pelaxtla |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Establishment | |
| Independence from Livaria | 7653 |
| Area | |
| Total | 268,295.43 km2 |
| Population | |
| Total | 21,658,792 (124th) |
| Density | 80.73/km2 |
| Economy | |
| Economy type | Mixed economy |
| GDP (total) | Ꞡ 113 billion |
| GDP per capita | Ꞡ 5,261.00 |
| Currency | Koskian Midyak () |
| Development index | Middle-income |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | -11 |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | KOS |
| Internet code | .ko |
Koskiya (Livarian: Коскія), sometimes transliterated into Koskia and officially called the United Republic of Koskiya (Об'єднана Республіка Коскії, trs. Ob'ednana Respublika Koskiyi), is a nation-state located in eastern Altaia occupying the largest proportion of the Thane Peninsula. It is bordered in the west by the Prosperity Gulf, to the east by the Shangti Ocean and to the north by the Xholate Islands. Covering 21,658,792 km2, Koskiya has a population of 21,658,792 as of 7689, which makes it the 124th most populous country on Gotha.
Pre-colonial Koskiya has a long and rich history as an interconnected part of the south-eastern Altaian trade networks that had dominated the western Shangti ocean for millennia. Throughout its history, the Thane Peninsula has played an important role in facilitating and controlling trade between the Altaian hinterlands and the wider Shangti region via the Prosperity Gulf. Humans first colonised the region 26,000 years before the present day, and numerous civilisations and kingdoms have emerged and had an influence in the region. The kingdoms of Zentopan, Texohtli-Tlatocayotl (literally the 'lapis lazuli kingdom') and Tlahuilloh ('the bright land') remained important trading partners of the Tsuki Integrality and Ilhuiyoco, with whom significant cultural, religious, linguistic, economic and political ties flourished for centuries, including some important marriage alliances with the Great Houses. Many Zatxu kings consciously modelled themselves on the Ilhuiyoco emperors, such was their influence on the region.
The first Livarian explorers set foot in what would become known as Koskiya in 7205, but they wouldn't establish a permanent trading colony until 7230 after a period of conflict with the indigenous Zatxu peoples. Following the conquest of the Kingdom of Zentopan, Livarian colonists would move to establish control over the entire Thane Peninsula by the early 74th century, with a large influx of settlers at first displacing but then integrating with the indigenous population in a deliberate policy of interbreeding promoted by the colonial authorities. During the following centuries, Livarian Peratolian Orkanan missionaries would convert much of the region and a distinct national identity began to emerge, known as the Koskimkiy. By the late colonial period, Koskiya was brutally invaded and occupied by the The Bind during the Wolgos Scourge, which temporarily boosted Koskian support for the Livarian Imperial Federation in the first few decades of the 77th century. Nevertheless, Koskiya gained independence from Livaria in 7653.
Koskiya is a unitary presidential republic with a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly. Since the 7674 anti-Orderist military coup which resulted in the overthrow of the unpopular but democratically elected government, over the last 15 years Koskiya has been ruled by a military junta led by Admiral Daryn Chernitepliy. Demographically, the country remains dominated by the Koskimkiy (Коскимький) population, which traces its mixed roots back to both Zatxu (Mizuet) and Livarian (Cheltai) ancestors. The majority language is Koskian Livarian, which is mutually intelligible with metropolitan Livarian but with notable Zatzunepli loanwords and influences. Tepetak is the national capital, with other major urban centres including Noviy Morshyn and Kekyatal' (Кекуаталь).
Koskiya is a mixed economy, with a nominal GDP of Ꞡ 113 billion and a GDP per capita of Ꞡ 5,261, making it a middle-income nation. Koskiya retains significant economic ties to Livaria, which remains one of its most important trading partners and who owns a significant portion of Koskiya's national debt. Koskiya is a member of the International Council of Nations (ICoN) and Open Seas Security Organization (OSSO), and is considered an ally of Livaria, which operates numerous military bases in the country; Koskiya by extension also enjoys cordial relations with the wider Triarchy, especially Kamura.
Etymology
The name Koskiya is believed to derive from a first-contact interaction between Livarian explorers and the indigenous Zatxu peoples. According to the semi-apocryphal story, a group of Livarian explorers under General Taras Horalenko approached a group of Zatxu pilgrims en route to the holy city of Mahuiztotl (literally, 'holy-cave'), an important cult and administrative centre for the local Zatxu theocrats. General Horalenko gestured around the startled pilgrims, asking 'where is this place?' in Livarian. The leader of the pilgrims replied in a grave and startled tone, pointing at the Livarian party and answering 'Cozcaquauatli!', meaning 'vultures'.
The Livarians struggled to pronounce the word Cozcaquauatli, Livarianising it to something approximating Koskakatil' (Коскакатиль), which over time was shorted to 'Koska'. The Livarians subsequently referred to the land as Koskiya, adding the traditional suffix '-iya' (-ия). It is generally believed that the pilgrims mistook the raven sigil adorning the Livarian banners to be a vulture, which is considered a portent of death and ill omen to the local Zatxu people. The pilgrims then reportedly ran into the undergrowth, with the Livarians attempting to pursue and track them, only to lose them and get lost.
History
Livarian colonisation
General Taras Horalenko led the first Livarian expedition to Koskiya in 7205, landing near the future site of Noviy Morshyn. The initial landing resulted in a number of first contact interactions with the indigenous Zatxu peoples, namely pilgrims and subjects of the King of Zentopan. Two days after first contact with a group of pilgrims, the semi-apocryphal origins of the name Koskiya from the Zatxunepli word for vulture (Cozcaquauatli), the Livarian company was met by a large band of Zatxu priests and sorcerers. The local king had dispatched the sorcerers to intercept the Livarians and ward against their ill-omened arrival after their arrival had been reported by pilgrims. The sorcerers began a highly complex ritual that saw the leading priests cast spells in a highly confusing and disconcerting display that left the Livarians uncertain whether they were under attack or not. The Livarians were nevertheless severely shaken by the encounter, having heard stories of the fearsome Zatxu sorcerers. Despite General Horalenko’s attempts to placate his superstitious troops, many sincerely believed that they had been cursed by the sorcerers, as their party began thereafter to suffer from various diseases, with casualties mounting. Horalenko would return to lead two further expeditions across the Thane Peninsula, but in 7212 he lost the confidence of the Livarian governor in the region due to his coming to believe in the power of the Zatxu sorcerers. Convinced that his only means of freeing himself from the curse he was suffering was through a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mahuiztotl, he reached the city in 7213 but died shortly thereafter. Conflicting sources mean it remains ambiguous as to whether Horalenko converted to the local religion in a bid to lift his curse. He remains a controversial figure, but his legend remains a strong cultural touchstone in modern Koskiya, with many lauding him as one of the first Livarians to embrace local customs and as a spiritual progenitor of the modern Koskimkiy people.
Wolgos Scourge
Post-independence
Following independence in 7653, Koskiyan politics underwent a turbulent period of reformation during and immediately after the 7654 election. Under the Imperial Federation, the traditional Koskian political parties had organised themselves primarily around being either pro-Federation or pro-independence. However, with the issue of independence now resolved, numerous major parties fractured and new upstart parties emerged seeking to define the next chapter of Koskian political history. Arguably the most disruptive forces to emerge during the 7654 election was the newly invigorated Orderist Party, which had long been banned under the Imperial Federation. The Orderists contested the election on a platform of economic and social reform, winning 34% of the vote, much to the horror of the established political parties and Koskiya's international partners, namely Livaria. Nevertheless, the first elected government, a coalition headed by the centre-right Our Country! and Orkanan Democratic parties, successfully codified the first independent Koskian constitution as a unitary parliamentary system. However, highly fragmented politics exacerbated by the country's pure proportional representation voting system led to a series of weak coalition governments, with general strikes and wider industrial unrest plaguing the various Koskian governments over the first 20 years of the republic's existence. This frequently led to turbulent and often violent altercations in parliament, alongside sporadic mass anti-government, anti-Livarian and anti-Orderist protests, as well as agitation by the Zatxunepli-speaking minority.
7674 coup
A brewing political crisis came to a head in the early 7670s, during which the Orderist Party entered into a left-wing coalition government for the first time as the joint-second largest party of government, alongside the Communist Party. The so-called Goreshin government, named after its leader Chancellor Andriy Goreshin, saw large-scale anti-government protests and increasingly repressive actions by the government strain relations with the judiciary, while pro-Orderist policies alienated the already hostile military. By early 7674, mass anti-government protests were continuing to escalate, with rising inflation and unemployment alienating industrial unions that would ordinarily have been sympathetic to the orderist and communist governing parties. Police forces struggled to keep order on the streets and the government faced a legitimacy crisis after a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Goreshin was narrowly avoided through the use of a controversial parliamentary procedure that delayed a vote indefinitely. Anti-government protests reached a crescendo by the late spring 7674, but plans to overthrow the Orderist-led government were already in full swing.
Concerns from various Koskian factions had been growing over the strength of the Orderist Party and its clear ties to Mirapan across Prosperity Gulf and the wider Stolvic Commonwealth. The arrest of Brunitara Kozhukha, the daughter of Koskian industrialist Volodymyr Kozhukha, for alleged corruption brought to a head the concerns of the capitalist class, military and wider anti-Orderist forces. It was widely thought that the Orderist government had been setting the stage for a hostile nationalisation of Kozhukha's mining and manufacturing industries, with his daughter's arrest a forewarning that a wider purge of industrialists could be coming to justify the seizure of private assets. Koskiya's international backers, namely Livaria, were also seriously concerned that the country could soon flip its allegiance and join the Eintracht, threatening not only Livarian and Triarchy economic interests in the region, but also Livaria's military bases in the country - considered a key strategic asset to Livaria.
By 14 Estorun, secret meetings between leading Koskian citizens and the military, facilitated by Livarian intelligence, had established a decision to move against the government and 'restore democratic institutions' to the country. The leading anti-Orderist figure to emerge was the Chief of the Naval Staff Rear-Admiral Daryn Chernitepliy, who headed the military faction of the movement. On 15 Estorun, Chernitepliy together with the other chiefs of the armed services, including General Rostyslav Falkenlis, head of the Koskian Army, launched their coup, with marines and mechanised units seizing the parliament and chancellory in the centre of Tepetak. The operation was largely bloodless, with police units refusing to stop the military, though one security guard at the chancellory was killed during a brief exchange of fire as Koskian marines moved to arrest Chancellor Goreshin.
The military rapidly seized the main television and radio stations, whereafter Admiral Chernitepliy aired a live address to the nation stating that Orderist agents had infiltrated the government of Koskiya and were working against the will of the Koskian people. He confirmed that his forces had taken temporary control of the major institutions of government in order to restore the democratic institutions of the nation, and that a transitional government would be in place shortly to oversee an orderly and peaceful transfer of power. The leader of the government, Goreshin, was arrested and put on trial for treason, corruption and ordering unlawful arrests and killings - though Orderists to this day refute these allegations.
Initially, the widespread unpopularity of the Orderist-led government resulted in cautious support for the coup, which promised swift elections and a restitution of law and order in the country. However, as the number of arrests continued to climb and martial law remained in place, many became worried that the military would not relinquish power. On 9 Suna new elections were called alongside a referendum on replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential model of government. The referendum was passed overwhelmingly with 78% of voters in support, while Admiral Chernitepliy himself received over 66% of the vote and subsequently became Koskia's new president, under what some outside observers called a 'controlled election' amid accusations of electoral fraud. Nevertheless, numerous international states immediately recognised Chernitepliy as the new president of Koskiya, though Orderist-aligned leaders continued to condemn the coup as a wanton power grab and overturning of the will of the Koskian people, refusing to recognise the results of the election.
Military junta rule
Demographics
Ethnic groups
Koskiya has a population of 21,658,792 as of 7689, making it the 124th most populous country on Gotha. The ethnographic make-up of the state today his heavily influenced by the land's colonial history, which saw large influxes of Livarian settlers from the early- to mid-73rd century. A deliberate colonial policy for hundreds of years encouraged Livarian settlers to take local Zatxu husbands and wives, with their offspring afforded the same rights as Livarians (though notably, pure Zatxu people were for a large portion of the colonial period not afforded the same rights as Livarians or Koskimkiy). This policy encouraged interbreeding between Cheltai Livarians and Mizuet Zatxu populations, which over time created a unique ethnic grouping known as the Koskimishana (Livarian: Коскімішана), which in Livarian literally means 'mixed-Koskian'.
The archaic name Koskimishana, first attributed in the 7300s, was steadily truncated and shortened to its current name, the Koskimkiy (Коскимький). The Koskimkiy make up the largest ethnic group in modern Koskiya and have a unique culture and sense of identity separate to, but intricately intertwined with, both the Livarian and Zatxu peoples.According to the 7687 census, ethnic Koskimkiy made up around 69% of the population, with 14% recording purely Zatxu heritage, 10% purely Livarian (Cheltai) heritage, 3% other Mizuet heritage and the remaining 4% other minorities.
Languages
The majority language of Koskiya is Livarian, namely the Koskian dialect which is mutually intelligible with metropolitan Livarian but has been heavily influenced by Zatxunepli loan words and morphology. Koskian Livarian is spoken by approximately 91% of the population, with the vast majority of those speaking it as their first language. Other minority languages are spoken, with Zatxunepli protected as an official minority language of approximately 8% of the population. Other minority languages include Toretlah.
Religion
The majority religion in Koskiya is Peratolian Orkanan. According to the 7687 census, 76% of the population identify as Peratolian Orkanan. Other forms of Orkanan are also followed in Koskiya, including Mellanhand Orkanan (7%), while indigenous Altaian Lizehanist faiths are followed by around 8% of the population today. In recent decades, other religions such as Guso have also gained in popularity amongst certain minority groups, with around 1.6% of the population now following the practices of Guso.