Karsylvania

**Karsylvania** (Karsylvanian: *Karsîlvăna*), officially the **Republic of Karsylvania** (Karsylvanian: *Republică Karsîlvăna*), is a sovereign state in Southern Eurea, bordered by Kasha to the northeast, Akraine to the east, Morgania to the southeast, Regia and Gregoria to the southwest, Losaco to the west, and Gorgium to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Turnea, located in the northwest of the country.

First unified under the Karsyl-Gregorian Empire in the 13th-century, Karsylvania functioned as one of the two leading kingdoms within the nation. The Empire went on to become a political and economic powerhouse within the region, wielding much influence within Southern Eurea and globally. Following fracturing relations with the Gregorians during the 18th-century, the Karsyl-Gregorian Civil War broke up, resulting in the independence of Karsylvania as the Kingdom of Karsylvania in 1735. The Kingdom lost much of its former power and glory that it shared with Gregoria during the Empire. Following an invasion from the Kashan Empire in 1799, the Kingdom lost its southwestern province of Muldania to the Kashans. After the establishment of the Kashan Union in 1899, the Kingdom faced increasing pressure and threats from the Union, and submitted to its influence with the promise of safety from invasion. In 1910, Karsylvania became a single-party communist state, much like the Kashan Union. After years of civil unrest, a *coup d'état* occurred in 1982, disposing of the communist leaders, including the King, and establishing Karsylvania as a parliamentary republic. Following the break-up of the Kashan Union later that decade, Muldania became an independent nation. Following a referendum in 1993, Muldania rejoined Karsylvania as an autonomous province, complete with its own sovereignty and legislature.

Since the 1982 *coup d'état*, Karsylvania has established itself as a parliamentary republic; its head of state is the President, who is a ceremonial figurehead elected by popular vote for a four-year term, renewable only once. The President holds very few actual powers in Karsylvanian politics, and serves mostly to formally appoint the Prime Minister and sign legislation; however, the President is still the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, can influence legislation and public opinion, and is an international representative of Karsylvania, hosting foreign dignitaries and making trips overseas. The Prime Minister is the head of government, and holds most political power in the nation. They are typically the leader of the governing party in the Chamber of Deputies. The national legislature of Karsylvania is the Parliament. Parliament is bicameral, consisting of a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies (led by a Speaker), and the upper house, the Senate (led by a President). Both houses of Parliament are equally important; while most attention goes towards the Chamber of Deputies, legislation cannot be passed unless it goes through both houses of Parliament, and the leaders of either house can block votes from occurring to prevent legislation from passing.

Karsylvania is a centralized nation, with about 56.3% of its population of 16.5 million residing in the Turnea metropolitan area. A unitary state, Karsylvania has two major subdivisions: five regions and twenty-seven counties. Each region is led by a Governor who is appointed by the Prime Minister, while each county is led by a county board, which is elected by popular vote at-large every two years. Since Karsylvania is a unitary state, there is little power that the regions and counties hold on their own, and local government largely only exists as representations of the federal government on local levels. County boards may pass legislation, but it can be immediately vetoed by the federal government if decided.

Approximately 79.5% of the population identifies as ethnically Karsylvanian, while a further 11.3% identifies as Muldanian and 8.1% as Gregorian. There is some debate as to whether Muldanians are actually a separate ethnic group from Karsylvanians. Most Karsylvanians believe they are the same, while most Muldanians believe they are different. Gregorians who reside in Karsylvania are mostly descended from ethnic Gregorian nobility of the Karsyl-Gregorian Empire who saw Karsylvania's mountainous landscape as a more lucrative place to live than the flat plans of Gregoria. The remaining 1.1% identify as other ethnic groups, mainly those of immigrant origin. The sole national and official language of Karsylvania is Karsylvanian, a Regesque language, that is spoken natively by about 91.5% of the population. While closely related to the Regian language, Karsylvanian has seen influence from Gregorian and Kashan. Gregorian holds a special minority language status within Karsylvania, as it is spoken natively by about 7.5% of the population within the Gregorian community. The Muldanian dialect of Karsylvanian holds official status in Muldania, although there is debate as to whether it is a language of its own or a dialect with slight differences from standard Karsylvanian. While the Karsylvanian constitution allows for the freedom of religion, a majority of the population adheres to Eastern Eurean Christianity; Karsylvania has been ranked as the most-religious country in Eurea, with about 93.4% of the population attending church at least weekly.

## Politics

### Administrative divisions

*Main article: Administrative divisions of Karsylvania.*

Karsylvania has two major subdivisions: regions and counties. As a unitary state, the subdivisions do not hold much individual power and are vastly inferior to the federal government.

#### Regions

*Main article: Regions of Karsylvania.*

The larger major subdivision is regions. Karsylvania is divided into five regions, which are decided based on cultural heritage, tradition, and dialect.

#### Counties

*Main article: Counties of Karsylvania.*

The smaller major subdivision is counties. Karsylvania is divided into twenty-seven counties, which are centered around its capital city and then surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and villages.