Kassaten

From Scandia

Republiek Kassaten
Republic Kassaten

(Flag) (Seal)
National Motto  • Ingallish	"In vrijheid verbonden." "In freedom connected."
National Anthem
Official language	Kassatic
Founding Date	1516
Government  • Type  • Stadhouders	Parliamentary Republic Johan de Zwart Friederike Adler
Capital	Maxburg
Administrative Divisions	Provinces and Intendances
Largest City	Linberg
Area  • Total  • % water	1,468,377 km² (566,940 sq mi) 2.1%
Population  • Total  • Growth Rate  • Density	106,000,000 2% 72/km² (187/sq mi)
GDP  • Total  • GDP/capita  • Growth Rate	ƒ 3.20 trillion ƒ 30,200 +1%
Currency	Florijn (ƒ)
Time Zones	Maxburg Mean Time (MMT) (SMT +5)
Technology Codes  • scandianet TLD  • Trigraph  • Calling Code	.ka KAS +53

Kassaten, officially the Republic Kassaten (Kassatic: Republiek Kassaten), is a country located in southern Valanan, one of the Doranian sub-continents. Kassaten is bordered to the north by Valania and is on the other sides encircled by bodies of water, most prominent of those is the Thalantyrian Ocean.

Kassaten officially is a democratic parliamentary republic. Individual parts of the country however have the choice to achieve great autonomy through becoming an Intendance, leading to other state forms in these parts.

Contents 1 History 2 Government 3 Economy 3.1 Criticisms of economic policy 4 Culture 4.1 Society 4.2 Religion 4.3 Literature 5 Geography and climate

History

Main article: History of Kassaten

Government

Main article: Government of Kassaten

Kassaten is a parliamentary republic. Legislative power is vested in the powerful bicameral national parliament (Staten-Generaal), consisting of a Lower House (the Rijksdag) and a Higher House (the Senaat).

The Republic is exceptional in that is has two heads of state (who also head the Cabinet and thus the executive branch of government) rather then a single one; the Stadhouders, whose office was created with the start of the First Republic to replace the role of the former emperor. Elections for the Stadhouders are general and combined with those for the Staten-Generaal.

Since the end of the Civil War in 1516 the country had been governed by a coalition of Social-Democrats and Liberals. The elections of 1532 brought a new party to the Kassatic government however, the Social-Democrats were replaced by the Green Humanists. The present Stadhouders are Friederike Adler and Johan de Zwart. The opposition consists of the Social-Democrats and the Collectivist Party on the left, the Cruistian-Democratic People's Party in the center, and the Economical Liberal Party on the right.

While the state is unitary by principle, areas are able to gain much autonomy as an intendance, based on agreements made case by case (see there for more information). Other administrative divisions are the municipalities on a local level, and the (largely ceremonial) provinces on a regional level.

Kassaten has an independent judicial branch.

See also: Flags and coats of arms of Kassaten

Economy

Kassaten is among the richer countries on Scandia. It has many different industries and possibilities for enterprises because of its vast size. The Civil War clearly left its marks on the country but already sixty years have passed since the first cease fire. Many enterprises in the Republican areas started to flourish again since expectations were that the Empire would never get back on its feet. After the Maxburg Treaty of 1495 there was no reason left to fear a new war. The economic boom of the 1440's never came back, but Kassaten was clearly back on track. The former Empire regions were very poor when they joined the Republic, but in the last 15 years they rapidly integrated into the economy of the Republic. These regions are still among the poorest of the country, but the dire situation in the years before 1515 that led to the revolts has significantly improved.

Criticisms of economic policy

While the Kassatic government is shareholder of many companies, liberal economists argue that the state should relinquish more control to private shareholders. The government budget is considered to be unbalanced by many of them, but as most of this is explained by large investments in infrastructure, they don't fear a crisis. However, they do warn government to start balancing its budget again in the near future.

Another criticism of Kassatic economic policy is that it has failed to promote sustainable development, which will be an absolute necessity for future business as well as future society. Therefore environmentalists argue for more corporate responsibility in case most companies stay in public hands, while in case of privatization, new indirect taxes and state subsidies should be aimed at more environmental responsibility, climate control, resource efficiency and waste minimisation.

See also: Kassaten Businesses

Culture

Kassatic culture is very diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences thanks to the commercial and explorative past since the rise of the First Republic, and caused Kassaten to function as global cultural centre for centuries.

Society

Kassatic society is traditionally seen as egalitarian and progressive. Kassatic people described themselves as modest, tolerant, independent, self-reliant, and entrepreneurial, and valued ambition, education, hard work, and personal achievement. Ostentatious behaviour is to be avoided. Accumulating money is fine, but spending money is considered something of a vice and highly associated with being a show-off.

Religion

Kassaten is religiously diverse. Most Kassaters, however, describe themselves as not affiliated with any church or religion (54%). Since the end of the Kassatic Reformation (1103) the Kassatic Reformed Church has become the largest Cruisian denomination; today its members comprise fifteen percent of all Kassaters. Catholics are five percent of the population, while orthodox protestant denominations account for another five percent. In addition, countless smaller denominations and non-Cruisian religions can be found troughout the country, especially in the ethnically diverse city of Linberg.

Literature

The literature of Kassaten can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The Reformer Desiderius, who translated the Bible into Kassatic, is widely credited for having set the basis for modern Kassatic language. Best-known of all Kassatic writers is the playwright Joost van den Aemstel (1110-1202), who mainly wrote historical tragedies and political satires. Other famous authors are Betje Wolff (1261-1327), Eduard Douwes (1343-1410), Lodewijk Kuyper (1386-1446) and Frederik van Wageningen (1383-1455).

Geography and climate

Kassaten is a large country with many different landscapes. Both to the north and the south are large stretches of coastal areas. However, to the south, beneath Maxburg, there are mountainous areas. The area around Maxburg is characterized by hills, while the city itself lies in a large valley. Several large rivers, like the Zilver, run through large portions of the country. Summarizing learns that Kassaten has a very diversified geography.

Most of Kassaten has a tropical climate with little fluctuation in temperatures. The most southern areas have a slightly more sub-tropical climate.