Ciarnesia

Ciarnesia, officially the Commonwealth of Ciarnesia (Ciarnesian: Ludeimaranesiu Ciarnesca, Romanian: Comunitatea Ciarneşiâ, Polish: Czarnesky Wspólnota) is a country in the continent of Europe and a member of the Alliance of Independent Nations.

Ciarnesia is located in Eastern Europe, west of Ukraine. The country borders Poland and Ukraine to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, and Romania and Moldova to the south.

Ciar-Savinesti Era (1431-1601)
During the early 1400s, many people fled Romania due to Hiigaran Imperialist efforts in the region.

In 1431, settlers arrived from Romania in Wojewodzstwo Ruskie in the Kingdom of Poland near Kaloma. These settlers formed the town of Ciar on the Prata River. A second town, Savinesti, was formed in 1434. The first poles living in Ciar were recorded in 1456, and the first Poles living in Savinesti were recorded in 1462.

In 1442, the townspeople of Ciar created a Citizens' army, Gardienii Oraşului (the Town Guards), to oppose a potential Hijaran invasion. Shortly after, townspeople built Castille Argint on the outskirts of Ciar in 1458. The castle served as a fortification as well as a home for religious leaders.

A head count was performed in Ciar in 1518, and showed a population of 21,138. A second head count in 1530 revealed a population of 32,006.

In 1552, Scoala de oraş Ciar, the first public school in modern-day Ciarnesia was formed. It was intended to be a Romanian-Polish joint school, however by 1558 scholars begin developing a new language, based highly on Romanian with borrowed attributes from Polish in order to close language barriers. The school began teaching the language in 1566 and by 1580 it was spoken and written by the majority of the town.

Formation of Ciarnesian Identity (1601 - 1798)
In 1601, a fire destroyed an unknown amount of homes in the town of Ciar and left approximately 3,000 homeless. This event sparked the first Ciarnesian diaspora as residents moved outwards to predominately Ukrainian villages.

Ciarnesians became less self sufficient during the 1600s, but the Ciarnesian population in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth grew in large numbers. They became dependent on the micro-economies of Ukrainian villages in order to sustain bigger families. This led to the dominance of Ciarnesians in many villages by 1630.

The growth of the Ciarnesian population drove many Ukrainians out of small villages, most of whom fled to Wojewodzstwo Braclawskie near modern day Vinnytsia in Ukraine.

Ukrainian flight from the villages forced Ciarnesians to create a feasable economy, which formed much of the cuisine and rural culture seen in Ciarnesia today. Alcohol distilling, cheesemaking and cattle farming became a staple of the mountain economy; whereas the lowlands became a center of crop farming and blacksmithing. Cabbages, tomatoes and corn became abdundant crops in the lowlands due to the massive reserves of fresh river water.

The Ciarnesian identity was first recorded by scholars outside of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late 1600s when British explorer John Orenthal Phillips recorded the following excerpt in A Comprehensive Diary of the East:


 * "and in the foot hills lived these folk who spoke an odd and obscure language; the one fellow I had found who possessed the ability to communicate with myself claimed they call themselves 'Charnestay' (ciarnestei), they are the folk of the mountain who were raised from a burning village many years ago, and they live by fermenting plums into a beverage they call 'Polink', their claim to a youthful and long existance."

Charnezhyian SSR (1956 - 1991)

 * Main article: Charnezhyian SSR

The Charnezhyian Soviet Socialist Republic was formed in 1956 as a response to politically charged smuggling drives which crippled the economy of the western Ukrainian SSR. Inadequate police enforcement of the smuggling drives allowed Ciarnesians to negotiate for an independent state. The proposed state, the People's Republic of Ciarnesia, ultimately failed. Instead, an autonomous state of the Soviet Union was formed, the Charnezhyian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Charnezhyian SSR, much like the general Soviet Union; operated a centrally planned government and a welfare state where citizens who worked in government industries received wages and other benefits, and all revenues made from industries stayed within the government.

The Charnezhyian SSR had a generally weak economy during it's first decade due to damages done from smuggling drives. However, the state recovered by constructing many nuclear power facilities and exporting massive amounts of uranium to other countries with developing nuclear programs.

Early Independence (1991 - 2004)
Ciarnesia's early independence marked the largest period of economical growth in the country's history. The country's GDP Per Capita, $4,812 in 1992; rose to $14,919 by 2004. This period also marked a significant increase in the social and political freedoms that citizens in Ciarnesia were allowed as well as major advances in the country's consumer electronics market.

However, there was much tension between the three major political parties in Ciarnesia during the early 1990s. The Ciarnesian Conservative Party which was formed in 1986 and the Liberal Democratic Party of Ciarnesia which was formed in 1992 far superseded the familiar, dominant Red Party of Ciarnesia, the successor to the Charnezhyian Socialist Party in popularity as people were very open to accept new "western ideals".

The Constitution of the Ciarnesian Commonwealth was ratified in January of 1992, and the Armed Forces of Ciarnesia were assembled in March of 1992 under ad interim President Traian Alexandru. Ciarnesia held it's first public election in May of 1992, and Constantin Gabor of the Ciarnesian Conservative Party was elected President. Gabor's presidential victory and the overall Conservative victory is said to have been the cause of the 1992 Vatusana Riots which took place in a Red Party dominated area of Vatusana County.

The Conservative Party of Ciarnesia built a platform on attempting to establish "big business" in the country. Early political advances made in the country included the widespread privatization of industries and residential facilities. Consumer goods shortages as well as lack of agricultural supply and fresh water in some areas characterized these reforms as negative to many.

In late 1994, after the efforts of Conservative President Mahmood al-Sharif to glorify rapid privatization reforms, the Liberal Democratic Party of Ciarnesia began to ascend in popularity in the western portions of the country. In the country's eastern areas, the Red Party of Ciarnesia gained popularity by proposing the independence of the Democratic Republic of Alturia which had the intention of delivering the principals of Communism and Alturian seperatism as well as increased diplomacy with East Slavic and Communist countries.

Despite efforts by the Red Party, Lucian Dragos, a Liberal Democrat; was elected in 1996. Dragos' platform emphasized Digitalization as the driving force of the modern Ciarnesian economy and instated various subsidies during his time in office, including those which assisted the health of the agricultural sector of Ciarnesia.

The country experienced a boom in consumer technology during the Dragos administration, which included the expansion of internet and the first formal, major internet provider in the country, CiarNet. CiarNet was formed from the acquisition of many small service providers, mostly dial-up providers in urban areas; which were subsequently linked by rural phone lines. In addition, mobile phones gained massive popularity in 1997 and sparked the construction of hundreds of Nokia stores across the country.

Subsequently, the Digitalization of Ciarnesia increased after the election of Cosmin Teighel of the Ciarnesian Conservative Party. While the Teighel administration did not push for digitalization as hard as the Dragos administration, the advent rise of consumer electronics allowed it to progress nonetheless. Digital jukebox media players became a very popular item in Ciarnesia, as did inexpensive entry-level personal computers manufactured by Ciarnesian companies.

Ciarnesia was admitted into NATO in December 1998, and entered in the Kosovo War in February 1999 alongside NATO forces. Ciarnesia's foreign relations with FR Yugoslavia and accordingly Serbia were said to have diminished mostly during the Kosovo War. During the conflict, Serbs and Croats who did not support the war movement or the Serbian government were assisted in gaining citizenship in Ciarnesia and led to a rise in the population of Serbs and Croats as the largest minorities in Ciarnesia.

Ciarnesia Today (2004 - Present)
Ciarnesia is a highly liberal, progressive country which has experienced wide economic growth since it's independence. Industrial reforms helped to shape the modern structure of the Ciarnesian economy and culture as new industries moved into the country.

Ciarnesia today has a comparatively high life expectancy, literacy, education and standard of living in relation to other Eastern European countries, being one of five nations in Eastern Europe with a Human Development Index ranked as very high (the others being Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Hiigara). The International Monetary Fund classfies Ciarnesia as an emerging and developing economy, and the World Bank classifies it as a high-income economy.

However as with all nations, modern Ciarnesia has a share of social, political and economic issues. With a Gini coefficient of .39, Ciarnesia ranks as one of the least income-equal countries in Europe. Xenophobia is a wide social issue, particularly towards Hijarans, Syldavians, Roma and Albanians.

Economy
Ciarnesia operates a mixed economy which is mostly capitalist. With a GDP of $189.4 billion dollars, the economy is strong for a country of it's size. However, Ciarnesia's economy ranks low among European countries with similar population such as Belgium, Greece and Portugal.

Weaknesses in the country's economy can be highly attributed to socialist economical practices. Ciarnesia currently has a high rate of state ownership; especially in industrial and residential sectors. The government owns and operates approximately 8.5% of all heavy industrial operations, and 14.3% of all residential operations in the country.

Uranium and Industrial Goods have been the linchpin of the Ciarnesian economy for more than sixty years. The country produces approximately 6,150 tonnes of Uranium a year, placing it as the 4th largest Uranium producing country in the world. Ciarnesia holds approximately 10.8% of the world's Uranium production.

However, other industries have been rapidly developing in the country since 1998. Pharmaceuticals and Computers hold the country's largest growth sectors. In addition, copper production has been rising since 2002.

The country's largest industries are as follows:
 * Industrial Goods: 11.5% of GDP
 * Consumer Goods: 5.6% of GDP
 * Military Goods: 4.8% of GDP
 * Uranium: 4.2% of GDP
 * Pharmaceuticals: 3.3% of GDP
 * Copper: 2.3% of GDP
 * Computers: 2.1% of GDP
 * Chemicals: 1.9% of GDP

Wealth and Income
During the first quarter of 2011, the average household income in Ciarnesia was $1,278 per month; or $15,336 annually.

The cost of living in Ciarnesia is very low due to the country's location and industrial goods production. Ciarnesia's cost of living is approximately 71% of the world average.

Syldavian Embargo
On February 9, 2012; Ciarnesia declared an embargo on all Syldavian goods, banishing any imports and exports between the two countries. The embargo was declared in reaction to a coup d'etat takeover of the Federal Republic of Syldavia on February 3. In the February 8, 2012 edition of the Ciarnesian Informant newspaper, Prime Minister Valter Siuibenescu said the following regarding the embargo:


 * "We can not support the overthrowing of a peaceful government. In no way will we ever affiliate with a military junta of any kind."

Government
Ciarnesia's government is a unitary commonwealth with a parliamentary system of government. The country's head of state is a publically elected President along with an internally elected Prime Minister.

Administrative Divisions
Ciarnesia is split into five Counties (Carpaciul, Tarnobres, Vatusana, Cioma and Ukranei). Beneath the county level, the country is split into a number of Raions as a basis of local government for rural areas as well as a governing party for the cities and villages which make up the particular raion.

Cuisine
Main Article: Ciarnesian cuisine

Ciarnesian cuisine (Alimente Ciarnesiul) is highly influenced by Romanian and Polish cuisines, along with the cuisines of The Netherlands, Hungary and Turkey. Ciarnesian cuisine is rich in meats such as Beef, Pork and river Fish. Potatoes, Almonds, Cabbage and Peppers are important in Ciarnesian cuisine as well.

Many foods eaten in Ciarnesia were once staple foods eaten in the Carpathian mountains, but as time progressed a larger variety in cuisine was created in Ciarnesia as the population shifted from rural areas to cities during the Industrial Revolution.

Tourism
Tourism has grown rapidly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Cities such as Ciar, Tarnobres and Savinesti are often popular destinations due to not only their historical significance but the prevalence of nightlife and modern culture in Ciarnesia.

Sobovitei, Dragomir and Parau Denbrovsca are often hailed for their upscale luxury resorts and various tourist attractions. The cities are also known for their business presence and as a result are often visited during foreign and domestic business trips. The cities are also home to many spas, museums and historical churches.

In addition, the Carpathian Mountains of Ciarnesia are well known for camping, hiking, skiing and rural tours.

Popular souvenirs include various traditional Ciarnesian alcohols and various winter and ski wear such as ushanki and valenki

Government

 * see also: Parliament of Ciarnesia

The Parliament (saborita) is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of Ciarnesia. Under the terms of the Constitution of the Ciarnesian Commonwealth, the Parliament represents the people and is vested with legislative power.

The Parliament is composed of 460 members elected to a two-year term on the basis of direct, universal and equal suffrage by secret ballot. The 10th Assembly of the Parliament of Ciarnesia contains a majority of Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs.

Military

 * main article: Military of Ciarnesia