The Irenatta Union

The Union of Irenatta commonly called the Union of Saint Lyon, is a officially a Republic on the continent of Irenatta. It is bordered on all sides by the ocean. Saint Lyon covers 2,178,000 square kilometers and 769,596.837 square kilometers of shallow sea, and has has an estimated population of 500 million on the continent and 100 million in the colonies. Saint Lyon comprises of thirteen voting Districts and the colonies of Rutnatta to the south, Namnatta to the west, Masnatta to the east, and Satnatta to the north.

Saint Lyon is a "Republic" that is heavily influenced by Lyonism, which is a hybrid religious and governmental ideology.

## History

See the History of Irenatta for more detail.

## Geography

The geography of the Union of Saint Lyon is very complex. The First Environmental Zone is a rain forest, residing on the north and north-east side of Irenatta. The three islands a part of this zone is Toyyaden to the north, Herraden to the northeast, and Kakaden to the east. This zone is rich in many mineral resources and is home to a large variety of native species. The Second Environmental Zone is a dense forest, residing on the west side of Irenatta. The four islands a part of this zone is Allexden on the far eastern side of the zone, Neetaden to the south, and Trovaden to the northeast, and Urreden to the northwest. This zone is notable for its copper and zinc deposites. The Third Environmental Zone is a hilly plains region, residing on the southwest side of Irenatta. The three islands a part of this zone is Lottaden to the north, Mirraden to the southeast, and Watteden to the southwest. This zone is notable for both its agriculture and the fact that the waters between the three islands has been dammed up to increase the arable farmland available. The Fourth Environmental Zone is a mountainous region, residing on the southeast side of Irenatta. The three islands a part of this zone is Jirnaden to the southeast, Nuttaden to the west, and Grandaden to the north. This zone is notable for both its massive mining industry and the fact that the waters between the three islands has been dammed up to make underwater resources there more accessible.

The colony of Rutnatta is the southernmost colony of the Union of Saint Lyon. This colony is heavily mountainous and is known for its volcanic activity, including a large lake in the middle of the colony that is heated by volcanism. The colony of Namnatta is defined by its large forests and high cliffs. The colony of Masnatta is known for its natural harbor that is surrounded by mountains and is covered in forests. The colony of Satnatta is known for is rolling hills and almost-flat land.

Winds from the northwest provide warm, wet winds and rain to Irenatta. The average temperature during the winter is around 15 degrees Celsius, while the average summer temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. The national average rainfall is about 1,000 mm. It does not snow in Saint Lyon, outside of the high mountains in the mountainous environmental region. The colony of Rutnatta is known for its 13 degree celsius average annual temperature, caused by volcanism, despite being on a otherwise-frozen continent.

Due to strict environmental policies, the environment in Saint Lyon has been fairly clean since the 1950's. Due to environmental protection, most species outside of the Great Plains and the Great Desert have not been subject to endangerment.

Saint Lyon has 800 different species of plants, 15 different species of snakes, 20 different species of lizards, 30 different species of bird, eight different species of mammals, ten different species of fish, and 80 different species of bugs (belonging to ten different families).

### Unique Animal Species

There are eight different species of mammals. The most recognizable is the Lunar Wolf, a nocturnal wolf species found mostly in the western islands, where there are large forests. It is a carnivore that feeds mostly on other mammals, though it has shown to not be too picky as to the species of its prey. The average lunar wolf is about 100 cm tall and 185 cm in length. This species weighed in at 72 kg on average. The Lunar Wolf is generally friendly towards humans, but encounters can be deadly if provoked. There are currently 5,733 of these accounted for in the wild.

### Unique Plant Species

There are 800 native plant species that can be found on Irenatta. The most recognizable plant is the Irenatta Flower, a flower that is found everywhere on the continent. This flower is recognizable by its distinct shape of four red flower pedals around a white bulb-like structure in the middle. This flower has a number of medical applications, including a numbing and swelling-reducing agent in its nectar found in the bulb, and a muscle relaxant in its flower pedals. The Irenatta Flower is also known for the toxins found in its roots that cause most other flower-like plants around it to die.

## Demographics

### Population

The people of Saint Lyon stand at an average of 180 cm and weigh an average of 75 kg. The average life expectancy is 85 years, with male life expectancy being around 87 years and female life expectancy being around 83 years. The male to female ratio is 1:1. 20% of the population is under the age of 18. The average family has around two children. The marriage rate for those above 25 years of age is 90%. The age of expected procreation is between the ages of 25 and 50. The population growth rate is 2% per year. The current population is at 500 million people.

### Language

Lyan Irelan is the official language of Saint Lyon. This language is unique to Irenatta, having been developed over the millennia.

### Religion

See Religion in the Union for more details.

The state religion of Saint Lyon is Lyonism, which is a unique monotheistic religion that combines philosophy, science, and morality, as well as acting as Saint Lyon's sole governmental ideology.

### Largest Cities

The Union of Saint Lyon's population lives in various areas. sixty-four percent of the population live in the thirteen major cities, while the rest live in small towns and rural areas.

## Government

The Union of Saint Lyon is a Republic, a bicameral legislature, and a judicial court system. The government is split into three branches:
**Executive:** The reigning Saint. He or she manages the day-to-day operations of the Union of Saint Lyon and has sole authority over the military.
**Legislative:** The Senate is a single legislature that consists of 145 senators.
**Judicial:** The Tribunal is the judicial body of Saint Lyon, consisting of a series of Inquisitors, who act as judge and jury in all cases.

### Politics

Full Article: Saint Lyon Constitution

For a comprehensive list of laws, see: Laws of Saint Lyon

The Executive Branch consists of the Saint and his or her councilors. The **Saint** has the power to command the military, appoint Councilors, approve or veto laws, pardon those accused or found guilty of a crime, appoint ambassadors, convene special sessions of the Senate, appoint Inquisitors, and to establish Executive Orders if said orders do not violate existing law.

The Senate, ruled by the one hundred and forty-five **Senators**, has the power to declare war, to write legislation, to approve or reject any treaty or agreement with a foreign power, to pass tax legislation, and reject any executive order. All Senators are democratically elected every five years, with twenty-nine seats up for reelection every year. The Senate rules by majority vote, however 97 Senators are needed to reject an Executive Order.

The Tribunal, ruled by three **Inquisitors** per district, shall preside over all criminal trials, civil trials, and lawsuits. There shall be three **Appellate Inquisitors** per region, charged with processing appeals to decisions made by regular Inquisitors. There shall be three **High Inquisitor** charged with the final appeals and decision regarding any decisions from all other Inquisitors and Appellate Inquisitors. Only High Inquisitors may determine the constitutionality of any law or decision.

### Military

Full Article: Union Armed Forces

See Union Space Administration for details on Union space exploration and assets.

See UAF Organization for details on troop organization.

The Union of Saint Lyon maintains a professional military. The military has 5,000,000 personnel. Saint Lyon has no minimum military age; however, all citizens are expected to enlist in formal military training by the age of 18. The military is also used as law enforcement.

## Economy

Full Article: Saint Lyon Economy

The Union of Saint Lyon has a workforce of 400 million people. The average wage in Saint Lyon is 50,000 Lyonel per year.

The Union of Saint Lyon is rich in iron, steel, cement, gold, silver, copper, diamond, quartz, silicon, cobalt, chromium, lithium, magnesium, aluminum, titanium, zirconium, zinc, salt, selenium, tungsten, tin, vanadium, and other minerals and metals. Most production occurs in the mountains and in the desert.

The Union of Saint Lyon produces 3.6 billion barrels of oil every year (about 10 million barrels per day). Saint Lyon also produces 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas every year.

The Union of Saint Lyon's economy is worth around 16 trillion Lyonel, not including the funds of the government.

### Ocean Liners

Oceanliners are oceangoing vessels designed to transport large numbers of people in relative luxury. The most recognized company using ocean liners is called Maelstrom.

### Skyliners

Skyliners are large airships used for luxury travel. The most recognized of the companies is AeroLines, which maintains a fleet of twenty four airships that operate year-round.

## Culture

The Union culture is very complex, being centered around the military and Unionism. The Unionist culture uses a very strict calendar and clock, called the Unionist Calendar, consisting of 360 days divided into twelve months of thirty days each.

The diet of the people of the Union lacks any meat, relying on fruit, vegetables, beans, and wheat products.

The Music of the USL is a unique mixture of classical and rock music.

Nationalist-style plays and television shows are popular, as are nationalist radio stations.

## Education

Full Article: Saint Lyon Education

A child becomes required to attend formal schooling at the age of five. The first level of schooling is called **Standard School**. Standard School lasts until the student is thirteen, and focuses on general education and skills. The second level of school is called **Specialized School**, which lasts until a student is eighteen. Specialized School focuses on training students to get careers. A student is then able to be recruited into various **Academies**, where students can learn to become skilled at various careers. A person can also be apprenticed to a current Master or Journeyman in any profession to get a head start in a career. Such apprenticeships lead to higher career advancement, but only 1% of persons every are selected for one. Those who do not get an apprenticeship or go to an Academy can get careers in unskilled, heavy, or general labor.

## Infrastructure

### Transportation

The Union of Saint Lyon relies heavily on various means of transportation, including its massive rail network and its public bus system.

### Energy

The Union of Saint Lyon is completely energy independent, relying only on renewable energy sources. There are a hundred wind turbines that produce up to 248 TWh of energy. Thirteen solar power stations generate up to 6,292 TWh. The total electricity generation in Saint Lyon is 6,540 TWh.

### National Digital Communications System

The National Digital Communications System is a massive communications network for telecommunications and computer networking.

See Computers in the USL for more information on USL computing details and history.

### Technology and Projects

See USL R&D for more details on the USL's research and development of new technologies and projects.

### National Space Elevator Network

The National Space Elevator Network (NaSEN) is a series of five 200 km tall space elevators. Each space elevator is equipped with thirty-two triple-barreled 450 mm tungsten shell coil guns, 144 anti-projectile close-in laser point defenses, and 64 high-energy long-range energy weapons. Each space elevators have 8 space ports as well as 8 dry-docks for ship construction. Each space elevator also possesses electrostatic defenses capable of eliminating atmospheric-based projectile and missile attacks.