Calaré

The Crowned Republic of Calaré is an independent constitutional monarchy comprised of ten provinces. The nation is located on the South Eastern coast of the Australasian continent. Its neighbors are Australia to the north, West and South with the Commonwealth of Venray and the Republic of Arcacia to the North East.

Calaré is a unitary state currently reigned over by King Aodhan I. Its seat of government is in the capital city, Wollongong, which is also the home of the monarchy and largest city. The country is made up of ten provinces: Cabonne, Eurobodalla, Flinders, Illawara, Macquarie, Macarthur, Monaro, Orana, Wentworth and Wollondilly the most populous of which is Illawara.

The republic is a highly developed nation, and has a particularly long history with the arrival of the indigenous aboriginal population approximately 40,000 years ago. Calaré's economy is highly industrialised and the city of Wollongong is an important centre for regional financial, industrial and service based markets. Calaré is a member state of the Alliance of Independent Nations, a founding member of the Tasman Group and a Providence Accord signatory.

Etymology and Terminology
The origin of the name Calaré comes from the Wiradjuri Aboriginal name for the Lachlan River, which runs through the western part of the Country. The name has two pronunciations; the Kul-air pronunciation which was established under Australian rule and the actual Wiradjuri pronunciation Kal-ah-ree ,which since Independence has been established as the correct way to pronounciate the word, as a mark of respect to the indigenous people of the country.

Governance of Calaré
The Governance of Calaré is heavily influenced by the Westminster System, which Calaré inherited from Australia upon gaining independence in 2001. This has given Calaré a framework of strong democratic traditions, which have developed their own unique flavour that is not seen anywhere else in the world. Since independence, the governance of Calaré has taken place within a constitutional framework of monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

The administration of Calaré is ordered by the Constitution of Calaré which lays down the powers of the various branches of government. The constitution is the supreme document of law, and all subsequent laws and customs are subordinate to it. Also specified by the Constitution are the various rights and freedoms enjoyed by all Calaréanns. The head of state is the hereditary King of Calaré, while the role of head of the government is filled by a Prime Minister. As a parliamentary democracy, the executive is dependent on the direct support of the Oireachtas- Parliament, which is expressed through a vote of confidence in the Dail Calaréann-House of Representatives. Without the support of the lower house, the Monarch cannot ask an individual to form an administration as Prime Minister and therefore recommend the appointment of a ministry. The life of the Parliament is limited, and must be dissolved every three years so as to allow the election of a new body of members to both houses.

Politics
The politics of Calaré takes place within the framework of a parliamentary democracy. There are two levels of Government, the Central Government and the ten devolved Provincial Governments. The primacy of the Central Government is unchallenged and the Provincial Governments exist at the discretion of the Central Government.

Political Parties
For more, see Political parties of Calaré.

Calaré has a variety of political parties and interest groups that claim and attempt to represent the community. The party system is well entrenched, although Calaré does not have a two-party system like some countries, but instead could be best categorised as a three-party system. Over the last forty years, a number of smaller parties have controlled the balance of power and used it moderate the government of the day. Additionally, there are a variety of smaller political parties that do not have elected members of parliament, but still contribute to the political process via policy submissions, lobbying, and political campaigns.

Elections
For more, see Elections in Calaré.

By law, elections must be held every three years for both houses of Parliament and every four years for each of the ten provinicial governments. Calaré maintains a complex electoral system to ensure democracy for all, and to give all people a voice in the election and in the running of government.

Unlike many nations, voting in every election, plebiscite, and referendum is compulsory for all people over the age of eighteen.

Political Issues
For more, see Political issues of Calaré.

At any time, a range of issues dominate the political sphere of the nation. With the assistance of the media, many issues are brought to the attention of leaders, and also to the people. Calaréann's are highly conscious of their society and much of the political discourse revolves around issues affecting it.

Calaréann Defence Force
The military defence of Calaré is managed by the Calaréann Defence Force or CDF. The Commander-in-Chief of the CDF is HM The King, although command is in practice exercised by the Prime Minister. Day to day command is managed by the Joint Defence Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence.

The primary mission of the Calaréann military is the "Defence of the people and interests of the Republic". The force is charged with the protection of Calaré against attack and through Calaré's external treaties participates in international deployments and operations.

Geography
Calaré has a combined area of 63,976km2, which includes all of the mainland of Calaré, as well as Montague Island. It is situated on the South Eastern seaboard of the Australian Continent, it takes in the territory south of the New South Wales capital of Sydney and to the north of the Australian capital of Canberra in a contiguous band from the coast to the western interior. The country is located between latitudes 32°76' to 36°44'S and longitudes 147°87' to 150°78'E.

Calaré is split between east and west - in the east the coastal plains and Great Dividing range dominate the landscape, while in the west great plains extend over vast distances. In the central areas, mountainous hills and valleys form the divide between the plains of the western provinces and the eastern provinces along the coastal fringe.

The country has a population of approximately 9.6 million people, making it the second most populous country in Australasia. It has a population density of 147 people per squared kilometre and therefore is the 78th most dense nation on earth.

Flora and Fauna
Calaré has several remnant forest areas that interlink, including the Blue Mountains national park, Belangalo State forest and several other forested areas of the Calaréann southern Highlands. The largest forested area is spread across the north-east of the country, and borders the Wollondilly and Macquarie provinces forming part of a natural border with Australia. The country shares a lot of similarities with Australia in terms of Flora and Fauna with Calaré also having some populations of vulnerable of plants and animals such as the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis).

Rivers
The rivers of Calaré can be divided into two categories, those that flow to the coast and those that flow inland. The largest group of the two is the inland rivers category, with the majority of the rivers in Calaré flowing inland into the Murray Darling these rivers tend to be long, slow moving and carry large amounts of water by Australasian standards. The second coastal group of rivers tend to shorter and discharge far smaller amounts of water into the Pacific Ocean.

Climate
Calaré can be divided into three climatic regions. The coastal fringe is oceanic having mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers and the inland separated into two regions with the central Highlands having cold, wet winters and mild summers, Whilst the western plains have mild winters and very hot summers.