Chidarun Factbook

[Katrajan]

This is the Factbook about the region of Chidarun, until yet consisting of the following nations:

Katrajan
Vhutarmi Chidarethu
Dhijarun
The Borderlands of Chidarun (found by Chidarun)
Tharam
Shantriaj

Please do not post any questions or comments here, since this is only for the factbook that I'm gonna review and edit ongoingly; if you have questions address them at one of the member states (questions about the language only to Katrajan, please) or let's open a new thread for that.
This is the OUTLINE:

0. Short facts
1. Geography
2. Economy
3. History
4. Military
5. Government Structure and Political Structure
6. People and Population
7. Language

[Katrajan]

Official name: Thahaj Vhutarmĭzû Chidarethû / Chidarun

Area: 4,034,456 km²

Capital: Sarkôm (State of Vhutarmĭ Chidarethû)

Official Language: Chadarian

Gouvernment: Subsidiarity based, Federal Parliamentary Republic

[Katrajan]

The Region of Chidarun covers a lot of climate zones from the rather flat costal areas in the west with mediterranean climate in the south and maritime climate in the north to the interior characterized by two massive mountain chains (Baras and Chapurem) and wide steppes, with more continental climate the more you get into the east.

[Katrajan]

Traditionally the Chidarians were mainly nomadic stock breeders, mainly concentrating on cattle and horses. Today a rich agriculture complements the stock breeding or has even exceeded the meaning of cattle breeding today. While in the south fruit farms and rice fields produce enough to export more than half of the harvest, the north supports itself with cultivation of wheat, potatoes and corn. The Production of beef is vast in the north.
Beyond that, Chidarians are known to be the worst vintagers in the world. There exist hundreds of jokes within their neighbor countries about how bad the chidarian wine is. Even if you should better not get into trouble with an angry vintagers’ clan by calling the taste of his wine something like... ‘interesting’, a visitor does better probing the traditional Gath instead of wine, that is proudly served by most Chidarian hosts.
The industry is young, but thriving in Chidarun. After concentrating on mining and supply of technologically more develloped countries for a while, a High Tech Industry is starting to be established, too.
Before the shores of Dhijarun and Sarkôm recently oil springs were found.

[Katrajan]

For a long time, the Chidarian nation consisted of widespread nomad clans. While most clans – called “Jurma” and having between 30 and 2000 people – were communities of horse- and cattle breeders, others became aggressive hordes conducting raids within and far beyond todays borders of Chidarun. This might be the reason for the stereotype of the Chadarians as bellicose, barbarian people among their neighbors lasting until nowadays.
The history of a united, chadarian nation began around 1000 years ago, when annual regional convents for trade, settle disputes and found alliances between clans (majthar) and marriages across clan borders attracted more and more clans and thus became more meaningful. The convents continuously obtained more functions. About 800 years ago, an abecedarian common law system (khamur) was established and extended since then; beyond that, the various spiritual traditions began to discuss and unify (or better: refine and varify – chidarians love a good quarrel) their beliefs and philosophies. Where the convents took place more and more people were staying, bulding up caravansaries, later agriculture, temples and administrative institutions. Tents gave way to buildings of stone and wood. The first cities were founded.
For a long time, the cities were sacrosanct places for even clans at emnity to trade and resolve differences. The cities became safe, economically thriving places. The people, especially the poor clans, tooke notice. The cities grew constantly.
200 years ago, cities started to affialiate with their sorrounding regions and other cities to regions of common jurisdiction (Thahaj). These were ruled and administrated by delegates of the most influential clans. These affiliations are the ground for the states of today.
50 years ago the Thahaj began to turn into modern democracies. 20 years later the Federation of Chidarun was founded and is on the way to become a economically strong constitutional state for all Chidarian people and foreigners living in the borders of all member states.

[Katrajan]

Every state has it’s own army. Most member states have compulsory military service. The Airforce and Navy are under control of the central, federal gouvernment of Chidarun. A modern, federal army of professional soldiers in going to be built up in the next years.

[Katrajan]

Chidarun consists of 5 politically and culturally heterogenous states:
Katrajan - the geographical and political “core” state
Tharam - the modern northwestern republic, known for its excellent educational
system
Vhutarmi Chidarethû - the district of the capital Sarkôm (Thahaj Sarkômû)
The Borderlands - land settled by formerly poor people and survivors of extincted clans.
Dhijarun - the anarchic, traditional, wild south.
Shantriaj - offshore islands.
Every of these states elects its representatives for the federal parliament (Dshambraj Thahajû) in Sarkôm according to its population. The Dshambraj Thahajû elects the prime minister. The prime minister nominates his cabinet, which has to be approved by the parliament, too.
The power of the gouvernment in Sarkôm is counterweighted by the council of the states leaders (Dshambraj dhna Majtharû).

Political Parties:

The Liberal Party - Stands for economical progress and even more a consequent
democratization of the federation. Its declared aim is to establish
common institutional and law standards in the whole republic and turn it
step by step into a real national state. Very strong in Katrajan (53%)
Socialists - Standing up for more social equality during the thriving development
of Chidaruns economy. Very strong in the Borderlands (34%).
Najib - Party of former traditionalists and socialists mainly caring for the
protection of the environment, which is heavily threatened by the
economical boom. Strong in Vhutarmi Chidarethû, where their government
participation led to a ban of automobiles in the capital. Sarkôm, on the
way to become a dirty, smoggy Moloch, might be the cleanest and most
green capital of the world in a few years – thats at least what Najib says.
Traditionalists - against centralization and protecting more of the old, traditional clan
system. Strong in Dhijarun.
Communists - Marxist Communists.

Actual distribution of seats in the Dshambraj Thahajû:
LP: 216 SO: 98 NA: 28 TR: 52 CO: 11 (405)

[Katrajan]

All states of Chidarun are ethnically very homogenous. There are only 3% non-chidarians living in Chidarun and even most of them are atochthon. Yet the gouvernment expects immigration waves in the next decades because of Chidaruns blossoming economy. Qualified workers and scientist are badly needed and attracted with high wages, luxury homes and long-term-contracts from abroad.
Chidarians confess to one of the various traditions of the Majaram, which is rather a rich and vast fundus of mythological and philosophical writings than a religion. The Majaram is not clearly theistic, even though some traditions believe in one or several gods.

[Katrajan]

The Chadarian language possesses a quite complex grammar including 8 grammatical cases (marked by suffixes) and a very flexible system of verb inflection. It is composed of a lot of synthetic as well as analytical elements and does (probably) not belong to any known language family. It might be as isolated as basque. Since the usual reader is probably not too much interested in grammatical structures of foreign languages but might get a feeling for how Chidarian sounds and looks like: here you can find its similarity-based phonology and the national mottos of all our member nations including translations at the end.

vowels

a like a in arm
e like in never or german stehen, but never like in english
é like ai in main, but a bit throaty
i like ee in see
ĭ like turkish ı, schwa
o like the german o, similar to o in not
ô similar to engl. alone
u english oo
û like german ü with an e at the end; maybe similar to how an english speaker would pronounce
newe

consonants

b b
c dsh or tsh, depends on dialect
ch a bit like tj or a t before the german ch in ich
d d
dh soft th as in then
f f
g as g in go
h h, but more aspired
j as in french jalousie
k k
kh similar to the spanish j
l l
m m
n n
ŋ as in spanish niño
p p
q like danish kjole
r trilled r, like in spanish
ř as r in brown
s voiceless s, as in sound
sh sh
t t
v v
vh like wh in english what


Translations of National Mottos

Dhna shôar khamezû dherenajen.
((See), they are not the emperors of the world.)

Ŋû tarimajlja, sajz tikaru maj qele tuřajl.
(One will talk about the one who is able to let the hatred die.)

Dhamunir, dhamuniqu, dhamunu ca prajén, chakhén.
(In our home, with our home and for our home we are working and fighting. [home: “home country” is meant])

Chidarun, dhamun chidarethû qu lidhazû chidari.
(Chidaria, home of the chidarians and the chidarian language.)

Naŋat bé numén, naŋat shezen prajén.
(We have to await fortune, we are going to work for fortune).

Ŋûca shezen tarimén mari qu chimaruninish qadhén.
(For all times we want to speak truthfully and live in freedom.)