Asgard

Asgard (Asgard: Asgaror), officially the Asgard Republic, is a Unitary Semi-presidential Constitutional republic consisting of 4 States, three Unincorporated Territories. Asgard is located on the Kerguelen Continent, the most habitable southern continent on Earth.

About 60% of the population live in the urban areas along the coast line. Asgard's capital is Triton, with a population of 4.13 million, it is the largest city in Asgard. Aluumen is the second largest city, with a a population of 2.07 million.

Asgard joined the Alliance of Independant Nations in April 2012.

History
The continent was discovered by the Breton-French navigator Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec on 12 February 1772. The next day Charles de Boisguehenneuc landed and claimed the area for the French crown, naming it the territory of Kerguelen.

Soon after their discovery, the continent was regularly visited by whalers and sealers (mostly British, American and Norwegian) who hunted the resident populations of whales and seals to the point of near extinction, including fur seals in the 18th century and elephant seals in the 19th century. Since the end of the whaling and sealing era, most of the species have been able to increase their population again.

In the past, a number of expeditions briefly visited the islands, including that of Captain James Cook in 1776.

In 1827 the French started a coal mining operations on the continent.

Between 1825 and 1847, 250,000 French people emigrated to area. These settlers benefited from the French government's communal land and the application of modern agricultural techniques that increased the amount of arable land. Starting from the end of the 19th century, people of European descent became full French citizens.

The territory of Kerguelen, along with the islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul, and the Crozet archipelago were officially annexed by France in 1893, and were included as possessions in the French constitution in 1924. The territory was then divided into four colonies, each with its own administration: Asgaror, Breton, Bruguière and Nespirah. The Act of Union 1930 merged the colonies of Kerguelen into The United Territories of Kerguelen and included the unincorporated territories of Trémarec Island, Heard Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

In 1953 French President Charles de Gaulle held a plebiscite, offering independence, the poll resulted in a landslide vote for complete independence from France. The nation was now known as The Asgard Republic, with the name taken from it's most populous state and Renard Firmin was elected as the first President.

President Renard Firmin brought about a modernization drive that brought considerable demographic changes to Asgard. Villages underwent significant change as urbanization increased. New industries emerged and agricultural employment was substantially reduced. Education was extended nationwide, raising the literacy rate from less than thirty percent to over eighty percent.

Asgard has since prospered and grown to have a population of over 10million.

States and Territories of Asgard
Asgard has 4 states — Asgaror, Nespirah, Breton and Bruguière — and three unincorporated territories — Trémarec Island, Heard Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Constitution
The Constitution of Asgard defines the political system. Asgard is a parliamentary democracy, where the Prime Minister of Asgard is the country's most powerful politician. The constitution in its current form came into force on January 1 1953, and was last amended on October 16 2012. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, and presidential elections, and in Elections for the Alliance of Independent Nations House of Representatives.

President
According to the Constitution, the President of Asgard is the head of state. Asgard was formerly considered a semi-presidential Parliamentary system, but after an amendment in 1999 to the constitution, the presidency has become largely a ceremonial, non-executive position. The position still does entail some powers, including responsibility for Foreign relations of Asgard (excluding affairs related to the Alliance of Independent Nations) in cooperation with the Asgard Government, being Commander-in-Chief, some decree powers, and some appointive powers. Direct, one- or two-stage elections are used to elect the president for a term of five years with no set term limits. The current president is Patrick Pettyfer; he took office on March 9 2003. Former Presidents of Asgard include Renard Firmin (1953–1963), Henri Duchamps (1963–1968), Sébastien Lamar (1968–19673), Mathieu Perrault (1973–1983), Franck Paquet (1983–1988), Léonard Sarkozy (1988–1998), Raphael Chaput (1998–2003).

Parliament
The 260-member unicameral Parliament of Asgard exercises supreme legislative authority. It may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review; the constitutionality of new laws is assessed by the parliament's constitutional law committee. The parliament is elected for a term of five years using the popular vote method within a number of multi-seat constituencies through open list multi-member districts. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation. The Speaker of the Parliament of Asgard is currently Marilène Domitille of the Asgard Social Democrats.

The Parliament can be dissolved by a recommendation of the Prime minister endorsed by the President. This procedure has never been used.

After the Asgard parliamentary election, last held on May 18th 2013, the seats were divided among seven parties, along with three Independents, listed as follows:



Cabinet
The Prime Minister makes all Cabinet and ministerial appointments at their own discretion, although in practice they consult with senior colleagues in making appointments.The cabinet originates most of the bills that the Assembly will debate and vote on. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Asgard, and consists of him or her, of other ministers, and of the Chancellor of Justice. The current prime minister is Philippe Trémarec (Asgard Social Democrats). Each minister heads his or her ministry, or, in some cases, has responsibility for a subset of a ministry's policy. After the prime minister, the most powerful minister is the Minister of Finance.

Law
The judicial system of Asgard is a Civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Asgard law is codified and based on French law system and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of state based supreme courts, district courts and magistrates courts. The Federal level consists of the High Court of Asgard, Federal Court of Asgard and the Family Court of Asgard. In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking office holders.

Around 92% of residents have confidence in Asgard's security institutions. The overall Crime in Asgard is not high compared to other former French Colonies. A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offences such as speeding.

Foreign Relations
Over recent decades, Asgard's foreign relations have been driven by a close association with France and the United States, and by a desire to develop relationships with Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In 2011 Asgard attended the Sixth East Asia Summit as a guest of the host, Indonesia in the hopes of joining the organisation in the future. Asgard is a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, known informally and more commonly as La Francophonie (or, more simply, Francophonie)is an international organisation representing countries and regions where French is the first ("mother") or customary language; and/or where a significant proportion of the population are francophones (French speakers); and/or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture.

Asgard has pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation. Asgard is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organisation, and has pursued several major bilateral free trade agreements, most recently the Asgard – United States Free Trade Agreement and Closer Economic Relations with New Duveland, with another free trade agreements being negotiated with China (the Asgard–China Free Trade Agreement) as well as with Japan and South Korea by mid 2015. The Asgard–Cattala Free Trade Agreement was discussed at the AIN Summit and formally agreed upon in September 2013. Asgard is in continuing free trade talks with Histalpol and holds Observer status in the Organisation of Black Sea Economic Zone.

As a member nation of the United Nations, Asgard is strongly committed to multilateralism and maintains an international aid program under which some 40 countries receive assistance. The 2005–06 budget provides $2.5 billion for development assistance.

Military
Asgard's armed forces—the Asgard Defence Force (ADF)—comprise the Asgard Navy (Asgard Marine Nationale), the Asgard Army (Asgard Armée de Terre), the Asgard Air Force (Asgard Armée de l'Air) and the auxiliary paramilitary force, the Asgard Special Forces (ASF), in total numbering 69,700 personnel (including 51,500 regulars and 18,200 reservists). The titular role of Commander-in-Chief is vested in the President of Asgard, who appoints a Chief of the Defence Force from one of the armed services on the advice of the government. Day-to-day force operations are under the command of the Chief, while broader administration and the formulation of defence policy is undertaken by the Minister and Department of Defence.

In the 2010–11 budget, defence spending was $25.7 billion, representing the 13th largest defence budget in Asgards history. Asgard has been involved in UN and African peacekeeping, disaster relief and armed conflict; it currently has deployed about 2,330 defence force personnel in varying capacities to 6 international operations in areas including Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti and Afghanistan.

Along with Hiigara and Goverland, Asgard is party to the Strategic Defence Organisation (SDO), an AIN member regional defence agreement.

Environment
The environment of Asgard is characterised by unique flora and fauna and a variety of landforms contained within the island nation. Historically having an isolated and endemic ecosystem far into modernity, the arrival of European settlers began to have significant impacts on the system, with the intentional and unintentional introduction of new species and plants which often overwhelmed their natural competitors, leading to a significant loss of native ecology and biodiversity, especially in areas such as bird life. Today, some parts of Asgard are heavily modified by the effects of logging, agriculture and general human settlement, though large areas have also been placed under protection, combined in many cases with efforts to protect or regenerate native ecosystems.

The biota of Asgard is one of the most unusual on Earth, due to its long isolation from other continental landmasses. Its affinities are derived in part from Gondwana, from which it separated 82 million years ago, some modest affinities with New Zealand and Australia.

More recently a component has been introduced by humans. Asgard's biodiversity exhibits high levels of endemism, both in its flora and fauna. Until recently the islands had no native terrestrial mammals except for bats (although unique mammals did exist in Asgard until 19 million years ago), the main component of the fauna being insects and birds. Its flora is dominated by Gondwanan plants, comprising historically of forests, most famously the giant kauri. Asgard has developed a national Biodiversity Action Plan to address conservation of considerable numbers of threatened flora and fauna within Asgard.

Fauna
The animals of Asgard have a particularly interesting history because, before the arrival of humans, the country was completely free of mammals, except those that could swim there (seals, sea lions, and, off-shore, whales) or fly there (bats). This meant that all the ecological niches occupied by mammals elsewhere were occupied by either insects or birds. There are also about 40 species of lizard (20 each of gecko and skink), 16 species of frog (all rare and endangered).

Birds
Being an island nation with a history of long isolation and having no land mammals apart from bats, the birds of Asgard evolved into an avifauna that included a large number of endemic species (that is, species found in no other country). European settlement has been the cause of a huge decline in the numbers of birds and the extinction of over 30% of the 120 (at least) endemic species.

Mammals
The only terrestrial mammals that were in Asgard prior to human habitation were several species of bat. A number of marine mammals are found on the coast and waters of Asgard. European settlers introduced a wide range of mammals some of which have become serious invasive species.

Flora
Asgard has a richly varied flora of imported and native species, the indigenous varieties having developed quite significantly due to the geographic isolation of the country before human migration and plant imports became common. However, the combination of external factors such as climate change and invasive species, as well as increasing agricultural and other human land uses have led to some damage.

Economy
Aided by Independence in the 1950's and the subsequent modernization drive that followed, Agard has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a highly skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for vast majority of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for about 50% of output and exports. Since 2000, Asgard has been in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances offered the government considerable scope to implement its reform programs aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. Strong exports of commodities and the strong profitability of Asgard's banking sector has increased inflation in recent years.

The list below includes the largest companies by revenue in 2011:

Religion
Asgard has no state religion; as the Asgard Constitution prohibits the Government from making any law to establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion. In the 2011 census, 61.1% of Asgards were counted as Christian, including 85.3% as Roman Catholic and 7.1% as Anglican; 26.3% of the population reported having "no religion"; 7.2% identify with non-Christian religions, the largest of these being Buddhism (2.5%), followed by Hinduism (1.5%), Jedi (1.2%), Islam (1.1%), and Judaism (0.5%). The remaining 5.4% of the population did not provide an adequate answer. Since the arrival of French emigrants to the Kerguelen Territories between 1825 and 1847, Christianity has grown to be the major religion practised in Asgard. Christian churches have played an integral role in the development of education, health and welfare services in Asgard. For much of Asgard history the Roman Catholic Church was the largest religious affiliation, due to the legacy of colonial times when only Roman Catholics were permitted to settle in the Kerguelen Territories. However, multicultural immigration has contributed to a decline in its relative position, and the Church of England (now known as the Anglican Church of Asgard) has benefited from recent immigration to become the second largest group. Similarly, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism have all grown in Asgard over the past half-century.

Education
School attendance, or registration for home schooling, is compulsory throughout Asgard. Education is the responsibility of the individual states and territories so the rules vary between states, but in general children are required to attend school from the age of about 5 up until about 16. There are 13 school years and attending state (public) schools is free to Asgard citizens and permanent residents from a person's 5th birthday to the end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday. In the state of Breton, children aged 16–17 are required to either attend school or participate in vocational training, such as an apprenticeship.

Asgard has an adult literacy rate that was estimated to be 99% in 2007. In the Programme for International Student Assessment, Asgard regularly scores among the top eight of thirty major developed countries (member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Catholic education accounts for the largest non-government sector.

Asgard has 17 government-funded universities and three private universities, as well as a number of other specialist institutions that provide approved courses at the higher education level. The University of Asgaror is Asgard's oldest university, having been founded in 1869.

The OECD places Asgard among the most expensive nations to attend university. There is a state-based system of vocational training, known as TAFE, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. About 58% of Asgards aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications, and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is one of the highest among OECD countries. The ratio of international to local students in tertiary education in Asgard is also one of the highest in the OECD countries.

Health
Asgard has the fifth highest life expectancy in the world after Iceland, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Life expectancy in Asgard in 2010 was 79.5 years for males and 84.0 years for females.

Total expenditure on health (including private sector spending) is around 9.8% of GDP. Asgard introduced universal health care in 1975. Known as Medicare, it is now nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the Medicare levy, currently set at 1.5%. The states manage hospitals and attached outpatient services, while the National Government funds the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (subsidising the costs of medicines) and general practice.

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