Patagonian Republic (The Great Calamity)

==Government==
The Patagonian Republic is a federated presidential republic, albeit one with significant restrictions placed on the powers of the president. This is a consequence of the dictatorial excesses of the Republic's former leadership during the period of the Chief Directors. The separation of powers into three branches of government is practiced in Patagonia.
===Executive Branch===
The executive branch of the Republic's government is known as the Federal Council. It is composed of the President of the Patagonian Republic and between 10 and 20 Ministers of State. The Federal Council is chaired by the President, and all executive decisions are legally made by the Federal Council as a whole, though in practice Ministers tend to act unilaterally with the blessing of the Council.
The President is appointed by a joint session of both houses of Congress for a 6-year term, to act as chief administrator for the nation and executor of its laws. The President then nominates candidates for ministers to head the various ministries of state, who are then confirmed or rejected by the Senate. Once appointed, neither the President nor the Ministers of State may be removed from office by Congress unless impeached by the House of Delegates and tried and found guilty by the Senate. However, Ministers may be unilaterally dismissed by the President, one of the office's few unilateral powers. Above all, the President may not be a member of Congress or the judiciary, and may not serve any office of government or law in any of the Republic's constituent provinces.
===Legislative Branch===
The legislative branch of the government is known as the Congress of Patagonia. It is composed of two houses, the House of Delegates (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). Broadly speaking, the powers of the two houses are equal, with some exceptions. The Senate has the exclusive right to confirm executive and judicial appointments, try an impeached executive official, and approve foreign/international treaties. Meanwhile, the House of Delegates has the exclusive right to impeach an executive official and introduce money bills.
The House of Delegates is composed of 153 Delegates, elected to represent 51 3-member districts of roughly equal population. Elections are conducted every 3 years via single-transferable vote.
The Senate is composed of 90 Senators, elected to represent the 15 provinces at 6 senators each. Elections are conducted every 3 years, with half (45) of the seats up for election (3 from each province) at a given election.
===Judicial Branch===
The judicial branch of the government is independent of the legislative and executive branches. It is based on civil law but courts are organised in an adversarial style. The highest court in the country is the Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over constitutional affairs and is the country's final court of appeal. The Supreme Court consists of 15 justices appointed by the Federal Council with the approval of the Senate. Justices serve until age 77.
===Federal Executive Ministries & Agencies===
The following is a list of Patagonia's Federal Ministries of State and agencies. This list is incomplete.
* Office of the President:
** Central Intelligence Secretariat (CIS)
* Ministry of Public Security:
** Patagonian Federal Police (PFP)
*** Special Group One (SG1): Counterterrorism
*** Special Group Two (SG2): Drugs & Organised Crime
*** Special Group Three (SG3): Counterintelligence
** Patagonian Border Gendarmerie (PBG)
** Patagonian Naval Gendarmerie (PNG)
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
** National Intelligence Agency (NIA): Foreign Intelligence
* Ministry of Finance:
** Federal Revenue Authority (FRA)
** Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU): Financial Intelligence
* Ministry of the Armed Forces:
** Patagonian Armed Forces
*** Patagonian Army
*** Patagonian Free Navy
*** Patagonian Air Force
** National Directorate of Military Intelligence (NDMI): Military Intelligence
* Ministry of Law and Justice:
** Patagonian Federal Penitentiary Service (PFPS)
*** Penitentiary Intelligence Unit (PIU)
* Ministry of Transport and Public Works:
* Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries:
* Ministry of the Interior:
* Ministry of Education & Skills:
* Ministry of Commerce & Trade:
** Bureau of Economic Statistics (BES)
* Ministry of Labour:
** Office of Labour Statistics (OLS)
* Ministry of Health:
* Ministry of Social Services:
* Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation:
* Ministry of Culture & Sport:
==Miscellaneous Information==
===Currency & Banking===
The Patagonian currency is the Rillo. It is issued by the Federal Bank of Patagonia - Patagonia's central bank. The FBP is directed by a 7-member Board of Directors whose members are appointed by the Federal Council.
The Rillo is divided into 100 centavos. Coin denominations include 5 centavos, 10 centavos, 20 centavos, and 50 centavos. Banknote denominations include 1 Rillo, 2 Rillos, 5 Rillos, 10 Rillos, 20 Rillos, 50 Rillos, and 100 Rillos. The 500 Rillo banknote remains legal tender but is no longer issued by the FBP.
Due to Patagonia's decentralised political structure, federal banking regulation is minimal, with the vast majority of financial regulation put in place by provincial governments. Some provinces even allow private currencies to be issued, but these are generally not accepted outside those provinces.
===Military===
The Patagonian Armed Forces reports to the Minister of the Armed Forces, who in turn reports to the Federal Council, who reports to the Congress via the President. The Armed Forces consists of the Patagonian Army, the Patagonian Free Navy and the Patagonian Air Force.
* Patagonian Army: The Patagonian Army is the country's primary ground warfare branch and consists of 19,500 active duty personnel. The Army traces its founding back to the formation of the Patagonian Republic and the subsequent Patagonian War of Unification. It prides itself in being the senior branch of the Armed Forces and in its role in the formation of the Republic.
* Patagonian Free Navy: The Patagonian Free Navy is the country's primary ocean warfare branch and consists of 20,600 active duty personnel, the largest branch of the armed forces. The Navy is the youngest branch of the armed forces, tracing its origin to the Free Navy of the provinces during the 2324 August Revolution. It prides itself as being the guardian of the liberties of the people and the defender of its coasts. The Patagonian Marine Corps is part of the Navy and consists of 1,180 active duty personnel, trained as naval infantry.
* Patagonian Air Force: The Patagonian Air Force is the country's primary aerial warfare branch and consists of 11,700 active duty personnel. It was formed some time after the formation of the Republic, in 2296, upon being made independent from the Army Air Corps.
==History==
===Pre-Confederation===
===Confederation===
===Directorial Republic===
===Modern Republic===