Akraine

**Akraine** (Akrainian: *Акрайнія*, *Akrayniya*), officially the **Akrainian Republic** (Akrainian: *Республіка ж‘Акрайнію*, *Respublika zh‘Akrayniyu*), is a sovereign state located in Eastern Eurea, bordered by Kasha to the north, Alachus to the northwest, Borgizstan to the south and east, Karsylvania to the southwest, and Magoria to the west. Its capital and most-populous city is Prav, located in the center of the country. Akraine has a population of about 53.6 million inhabitants.

Organized civilization first began in the territory of modern-Akraine in the 11th-century, following the establishment of the Pravian Republic, founded by explorers arriving from Framland and Resha. The Pravian Republic was a democratic republic featuring a parliament and representative government. In the 15th-century, the Pravian Republic was invaded and conquered by the Kingdom of Kasha, being incorporated as the Akrainian Duchy. Following a *coup d'état* in Kasha, the Kashan Empire was established in place of the Kingdom in the 18th-century, and Akraine became a province of the empire, with its duchy deposed of. A second *coup d'état* occurred in the 20th-century, with the Empire being overthrown by fascists and becoming the Kashan Union. Akraine was incorporated as the Akrainian Fascist Republic of Kasha, becoming the second most politically powerful and economically developed of the Kashan Republics. Despite its political power, individual freedoms and liberties were greatly diminished under the fascist regime, with high levels of poverty, famine, and instability. Following a weakening of the Union and increasing foreign pressure from democracies, the Union began to fall in the 1980s; Akraine declared its independence in 1989, being the third former Republic to be granted independence.

As an independent state, Akraine has established itself as a unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic, and one of the most politically dominant states in Eastern Eurea. Its head of state is the President, elected through a popular vote for a six-year term that is renewable once. The President then nominates the Prime Minister, to serve as the head of government. The Prime Minister is the head legislator of the Tarshan zh‘Danku, the 650-seat unicameral Akrainian legislature, and must be confirmed by a majority of the Tarshan zh‘Danku; due to this check, the President must nominate a Prime Minister belonging to the governing coalition of the Tarshan zh‘Danku. Most power is vested in the President, as the chief international diplomat and representative of Akraine; they may approve and negotiate foreign treaties, formally appoint the nominations of the Prime Minister, nominate the four most powerful members of the cabinet, veto laws or nominations passed by parliament, dismiss previously appointed officeholders, bestow civilian and military honors, serve as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and formally lobby the Prime Minister on policy decisions.

Of Akraine's population of 53.6 million, approximately 75.9% of which identify as being ethnically Akrainian. A further 14.6% identifies as Kashan, primarily residing in Prav and along the border with Kasha, while 4.7% identifies as Borgiz, 3.5% as Alachusian, and 1.3% as other ethnicities. Immigration rates to Akraine are rather low, with most ethnic minorities having resided in the territory of modern-Akraine for generations along the borders with their respective nations. The national and sole official language of Akraine is Akrainian, a Slavoric language closely related to Alachusian and more distantly to Kashan. There are eight recognized minority languages of Akraine: Alachusian, Beratian, Borgiz, Karsylvanian, Kashan, Magorian, and Zatranian. Of the Akrainian population, approximately 55.6% speak Akrainian natively, while 28.7% speak Kashan natively, 10.8% speak a mixture of the two, while 4.9% speak other languages natively. This divide also exists across ethnic lines, with 24.8% of ethnic Akrainians speaking Kashan natively, and 6.7% not being able to speak Akrainian at all; this is particularly visible amongst older, urban populations, with younger and more rural populations prioritizing Akrainian over Kashan. Of the total population, approximately 92.8% are able to communicate in Akrainian, while 97.1% are able to communicate in Kashan, although trends have been changing in favor of the Akrainian language. Approximately 81.3% of the population are adherents of Eastern Eurean Christianity, while 6.2% adhere to other Christian churches, 5.0% adhere to Eurean Islam, 0.1% adhere to a different religion, and 7.4% identify as irreligious, agnostic, or atheist. Those who attend religious services at least weekly is estimated to be about 33.5% of the population, with Akraine having been referred to as the "bible belt" of the Kashan Union, known for high levels of religiosity.