Zakharia

**Zakharia** (Zakharian: *Zaxarija*), officially the **Kingdom of Zakharia** (Zakharian: *Zaxarijaskija Konguriteke*), is a country located in southern Asmatys. Up until 1942, the country was known as the **Republic of Zakharia**, and until 2017 it was known as the **Democratic Republic of Zakharia**.

It is bordered by Consensum to the north and Lashardia to the east. As of a 2015 estimate, Zakharia has 7.3 million inhabitants. The country forms the Zakharian Peninsula.

Zakharia is a constitutional monarchy, established under its current form in 2017. The capital city is Malikana. The official language of Zakharia is Zakharian. Zakharia is a unitary state, comprised of sixteen provinces.

Indigenous people of Zakharia are known as Zakharians. Zakharian is an Asmatic language, and the only known member of the Zakharian language family.

The nation declared their independence from the Kingdom of Titova on 7 March 1890, triggering the War of Independence where Zakharian forces fought against the Titovic Royal Army. They ended up victorious after the war ended in 1899, causing the kingdom to break up into several independent nations.

Zakharia is a candidate for accession to the Asmatic Union. It is ranked tenth in Asmatys on the Human Development Index, and has been classified as a middle income economy. Its currency is the Zakhar Dollar.

## History

### Kingdom of Titova

The territory of modern Zakharia was first settled permanently in 2000BC. In the early seventh century, Tito the Conquerer discovered the land and along with his army, incorporated the territory into his Kingdom of Titova. The population of Zakharia gradually increased following its incorporation into the kingdom.

After its conquest, the already-established city of Malikana was built-up extensively and made into the de facto capital of the Zakharian region of Titova.

### War of Independence

While under Titovan rule, Zakharians were continuously treated poorly by the Titovans, being taxed heavily and denied basic human rights. Large protests against the kingdom were first held in the early 1800s, and by the late 1800s full-scale rebellions were being held in many major Zakharian cities. On 7 March 1890, the Duke of Zakharia released the Zakharian Declaration of Independence to the celebration of the Zakharian people. They were however not recognized as independent by the international community.

Following their declaration, the Kingdom of Titova declared war on the self-proclaimed Republic of Zakharia. After nine years of war, Zakharia proved victorious and executed the King of Titova in his presidential palace. The kingdom then broke up into smaller nations and Zakharia's independence was officially recognized.

### Republic of Zakharia

Following their declaration of independence, Zakharia operated de facto as an independent state. They established themselves as a parliamentary republic, with a democratically elected president and parliament, and a presidentially appointed prime minister.

In 1940, the Zakharian people elected their fifth president, Erik Grubinchina. Grubinchina became controversial, passing laws against term limits for the president, abolishing the parliament under executive order, and outlawing elections.

#### Democratic Republic

In 1942, President Grubinchina officially changed the name of Zakharia to the Democratic Republic of Zakharia. This was largely seen as when Zakharia officially became a non-democratic nation. Grubinchina went on to serve as the country's president for over forty years until his death in 1984. He was known for his several corruption allegations and committing several human rights violations, mostly against the Belarian community and foreigners in Zakharia.

Following his death, Zakharia held their first election since 1940, where his daughter Dalla Grubinchina won over 75% of the popular vote and was elected into office. The election was largely considered falsified. Grubinchina has served as president since then and has become even more infamous than her father, being named "the most evil woman in all of Asmatys" in 2014 by Asmatic media.

She committed several human rights violations against Belarians, the homeless, the disabled, LGBT individuals, foreigners, and her opposition, and was accused of corruption since her first years in office. Grubinchina was sanctioned by a number of Asmatic nations along with other high-ranking Zakharian officials.

### Modern day

After Grubinchina II's death in 2017, Klara Grubinchina was elected President of Zakharia by the Parliament of Zakharia. Immediately after her election, she announced major reconstructions of Zakharia, including a democratically elected president, new administrative divisions, and making the Grubinchina family a non-political royal family of Zakharia, subsequently becoming the first-ever Queen of Zakharia. She resigned from the presidency on 8 February 2017, to take her position as Queen, and former political prisoner and peace activist Melinda Krasnaskija was elected president.

## Geography

Zakharia lies in southern Asmatys and forms the Zakharian Peninsula, linking the Asmatic and Lashardian Seas. The nation borders Consensum and Lashardia.

### Climate

Zakharia experiences a mediterranean climate. It largely experiences hot summers and cool winters.

Zakharia experiences all four seasons of nearly equal length. Winter starts in mid-December and lasts until mid-March. Winter temperatures average 0C (32F). Summer begins in mid-June and lasts until mid-September. Summers are typically warm and sunny in all areas of Lashardia, averaging 35C (95F). The south is significantly hotter than the north, but also experiences more rainfall.

## Politics

Until 2017, Zakharia was considered to be a non-free nation run by the Grubinchina family, a corrupt political dynasty. However, after Klara Grubinchina turned the Grubinchina family into a non-political royal family, the country has ranked highly on democratic freedoms.

### Foreign relations

Zakharia is a candidate for accession to the Asmatic Union, and through the years their relations with other Asmatic countries have weakened.

At the time of its independence, Zakharia was a close ally to the other Titovic states, particularly Lashardia, Consensum, and Sodrax. However, after Grubinchina I's presidency they have distanced themselves from Zakharia. Zakharia has since established close ties with Naxni, and consider them their closest ally. They opposed Poetarumian independence in support of Naxni.

### Human rights

Until 2017, Zakharia was condemned by international organizations for their numerous human rights abuses carried out by both Grubinchinas. After Dalla Grubinchina became president, the number of estimated human rights violations quadrupled.

The government was largely criticized for human rights abuses against activists, political opposition, LGBT individuals, Belarians, foreigners, and the homeless. There are approximately twenty-four political prisoners currently being detained in Zakharia. In 2005, Grubinchina II passed a law that restricted essential workers such as farmers, manufacturers, and others from leaving their jobs without explicit permission from their superiors, which was heavily criticized.

### Military

At the time of its independence from the Kingdom of Titova, Zakharia established a conscription policy for all able-bodied young men. At the age of 18, men were forced to join the military and could be discharged after one year of service. Under the rule of Grubinchina I, the length of military service was extended to two years.

After Grubinchina II took power, she mandated that all Zakharian citizens, regardless of gender must serve at least a year in the military upon turning 18. International organizations have criticized Zakharia's conscription methods, with there being no alternative service for pacifists.

However, largely due to their policies the Zakharian military is one of the most powerful in all of Asmatys. LGBT individuals are banned from serving in the military as homosexuality is classified as a mental illness in Zakharia. However in wartime they are allowed to.

### Administrative divisions

Zakharia is a unitary state divided into sixteen provinces. Each province consists of various elderships, which each contain a city and various smaller towns. Perhaps counterintuitively, elderships are more often used as the primary means of administrative divisions than provinces are, which are commonly only used when elderships are unknown.

## Economy

The officially currency of Zakharia, is the Zakhar Dollar, which has been used since 2011. Previously, Zakharia used the zak as its currency. About 12% of Zakharians supported the change in currency in 2011.

The Lashardian GDP of $782.9 billion, is spent mostly on defense, law and order, and spirituality. Despite having one of the largest GPDs in Asmatys, the Zakharian GDP per capita is quite low compared to the regional average.

## Demographics

### Ethnic groups

Unlike other regions of the Kingdom of Titova, Zakharia has never had a heterogenous population in its history. According to the 1878 Titova census, 89% of the Zakharian population identified as ethnically Zakharian, while 10% identified as Belarian, and 1% as other races.

Zakharia is home to two distinct ethnic groups. The majority of which, are Zakharians, which populate the majority of the country. Mostly concentrated in the capital Malikana and the northeastern region of Xan are the Belarian people. Belarians are a small ethnic group distinct from Zakharians, which speak their own Belarian language, adhere to the Belarian Orthodox Church, and follow their own Belarian cultural traditions. Throughout history, the Belarians have often been treated as second-class citizens by ethnic Zakharians, but as of today are considered a nationally protected minority.

According to the 2008 Zakharian national census, 90% of the Zakharian population were ethnically Zakharian, 6% were Belarian, and 4% were other races. The majority of those identifying as other races are either of Naxnic, Sodraxian, Poetarumian, Consensumite, or Lashardian descent.

### Language

The national and only official language of Zakharia is Zakharian, the only known member of the Zakharian branch of Asmatic languages. The Belarian language is spoken by ethnic Belarians in Zakharia. Belarian is a language isolate, which has been heavily influenced by Zakharian over the years. While not being an official language of the country, Belarian is recognized as a national minority language. Each region speaks their own dialect of the Zakharian language, which are all mutually intelligible yet distinct.

According to a 2014 survey, approximately 94% of the population spoke Zakharian as their first language, while 5% spoke Belarian, and 1% spoke other languages. In the same survey, only 19% of Zakharians over the age of 18 could speak a language other than their mother tongue. The majority of these were ethnic Belarians speaking Zakharian as a second language. Among Zakharians, the most well-known foreign languages were Lashardian, Consensumian, Naxnic, Sodraxian, and English.

### Religion

By far, the largest religion in Zakharia is Christianity with 98% of the population identifying themselves as Christians. In a further breakdown, 92% of the population identify as Zakharian Orthodox Christians, 5% as Belarian Orthodox Christians, and 1% as "other Christian". An even 1% identifies themselves as atheist, agnostic, or unaffiliated, while 1% identify as other religions, most often ethnic Pesan Muslims.

In the same poll, 97% of Zakharians agreed with the statement "there is a God", 2% stated they believed "there is some form of spirit or life force, but not a God", and 1% stated "there is no God, spirit, or life force". In a further poll, 91% of Zakharians disagreed with the statement "You don't have to believe in God to be considered moral", while 3% agreed, and 6% agreed "in some circumstances".

### Education

The Zakharian education system begins when a child is six years old. At six years old, a child begins primary school in first grade. Primary schools lasts from ages 6-12. In primary school, students are taught mathematics, science, history, Zakharian, English, a second foreign language, art, music, religion, and physical education.

After their graduation from primary school, students begin attending secondary school. Despite being considered separate, primary schools and secondary schools are nearly always in the same building. Secondary school lasts from ages 12-18. All students are forced to study mathematics, science, history, Zakharian, and physical education, but are also allowed to choose their other classes from a list of electives.

While government-funded schools are the most popular choice for students due to their abundance and lack of tuition fees, about 6% of Zakharian students attend private schooling, mostly the upper class. Private schools are not funded by the government and can make their own unique curriculum. Most private schools have tuition fees as well and are largely only located in major cities.

While only primary school is compulsory, approximately 98% of Zakharians continue with secondary school. After graduation, students are expected to attend university, despite only 19% of the population doing so. Major universities include Grubinchina University, Malikana University, and the State University of Malikana, all located in Malikana, and the State University of Pyrlin in Pyralin.

## Culture

### Holidays

The following are national holidays in Zakharia.

* ***New Year's Day (Lipskija ragaxet)*** – 1 January
* ***Restoration Day (Kalimaxunata ragaxet)*** – 8 February
* ***Easter (Esta)*** – Springtime
* ***Independence Day (Gorgolafihadzskij ragaxet)*** – 7 March
* ***Christmas Eve (Hefterskij ef)*** – 24 December
* ***Christmas Day (Hefterskij ragaxet)*** – 25 December