Skgorria Factbook

[Skgorria]

The People's Unified State of Skgorria

Introduction

Located in southern Europe, Skgorria has only just recently emerged from massive economic and societal upheaval after the anti-nazi revolution five years ago. Before then, a strong national socialist movement seized power after the region broke away from the USSR in 1991. It has mostly renounced all overseas territories but the new government is starting to take more of an interest in international affairs. Despite this, the Skgorrian government keeps a tight control on their population with restrictions on personal freedoms and freedoms of the press and religion.

Geography

Total Area: 19,845,961 sq km

Comparitive Area: Over twice the size of China

Maritime Border: n/a (landlock)

Land borders: Grossetape, Atopiana

Terrain: Rolling plains and hills with mountains in north and southwest

Climate: Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers except in the mountains where it remains cold most of the year

Elevation extremes:

Lowest point: Lake Sanguine 3m
Highest point: Child's Cap 6,864m

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, pastoral land, hydropower

Economy

Overview: Skgorria has a long history of having a tightly regulated market. The Soviet invasion of 1920 brought a centralised economy to Skgorria and it survived the brief fascist regime of 1941-1944 until its reconquest by the USSR. A war against Atopiana and Grossetape devastated the area's economy, with top priority going to armaments and foodstuffs. The demand for consumer goods is being suppressed by the government, but it is a sector that the Skgorrian economy finds itself mostly unable to cope with.

GDP: NS$97,065,281,400,000

GDP per capita: NS$27 775.36

Unemployment Rate: 4.03%

Currency: Workskrip

Exchange Rate: W$1 = NS$1.3400

Military

Branches of service: Skgorrian Land Forces, Skgorrian Air Forces, Skgorrian Naval Forces (operating under Atopian command), Skgorrian Strategic Rocket Forces

Military service age and obligations: 16-50 for new male and female volunteers. Officers sign on for a minimum of 5 years, other enlistees for eight. After the contract is expired it can be extended by periods of four years until age 65.

Government and Political Structure

Conventional long form: The People's Unified State of Skgorria
Conventional short form: Skgorria
Local long form: The People's Unified State of Skgorria
Local short form: Skgorria

Government type: Dictatorship

Capital city: Skgorria City

Major cities: Tarnast, Redoubt, Trepeka

People and Communications

Total Population: 6, 345, 329, 490

Life expectancy at birth: 78 years

Population growth rate: +2% per annum

Nationality:Skgorrian

Ethnic groups: Skgorrian (78%), Atopian (10%), Russian (6%), German (4%)

Languages: Skgorrian (official), Atopian, Russian, German

Literacy rate: 99%

Religions: Catholicism, Russian Orthodox

Communications

Country code: +968456

Major radio broadcasters: Skgorrian News Network, Voice of Skgorria, SmashJamz!, GovNet, People's Radio Broadcasting Division

Major television broadcasters: Skgorrian News Network, Global, Eurocorp, GovNet, INTV, People's Television Broadcasting Division

Internet providers: Govnet

Internet domain: .skg, .gov.skg




Obviously still a WIP

[Skgorria]

Reserved for Geography

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Reserved for Economy

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Military

Introduction

The Skgorrian military has ever been a center of life and a force for change in Skgorria, both in society and politics. It was Skgorrians in the Red Army who led the revolt against the Russians in 1991 that saw the National Socialists sweep to power. The change from a conscript to professional force dramatically overhauled the efficency of the Skgorrian forces and the government put this new-found power to use in instigating a coup in neighbouring Atopiana, installing a regime favourable to Skgorria, and after the destruction of Atopiana it was the Skgorrian SS that overran the capital and brought about the rise of the People's Unified State of Skgorria. The Elder Council is trying to take steps to reduce the popular appeal and political power of the military, but for now the 100 million-strong Skgorrian military remains an important power.

Skgorrian Ground Forces

The senior service of the Skgorrian Armed Forces, the Skgorrian Ground Forces commands the bulk of the manpower, funding and prestige. After the formal disbanding of the SS and Border Guards by the Elder Council, the Skgorrian Ground Forces has become the only armed service responsible for the prosecution of ground warfare.

Recruitment for the Ground Forces begins at 18 and finishes at 50. All recruits undergo a mandatory year of basic training where soldiers learn fieldcraft, drill, weapon drill and other basic skills. It is the philosophy of the Ground Forces that every soldier needs to be capable of operating in the feld in a combat role whatever their role, and so great importance is placed on this year. After the year, recruits move on to their advanced training. After a further year of training they join their units.

The only large-scale deployment abroad of the Ground Forces at the moment is as part of the Airstrip One Defence Force.

As well as being resposible for the prosecution of ground warfare, the Skgorrian Ground Forces are responsible for defending the borders of Skgorria and working closely with the police to prevent penetration of the borders by hostile persons and commodities.

Types of formation

The Skgorrian Ground Forces can be called upon to perform a variety of roles, and thus various types of formation exist to perform these tasks.

Light Infantry - the workhorse of militaries all around the world, the Light Infantry formation consists mostly of foot infantry. These are the most tactically flexible units of the Skgorrian arsenal, and whilst they lack large quantities of heavy equipment a Skgorrian light infantryman is a brave, disciplined and cunning foe.

Mechanised Infantry - the so-called 'Heavy Infantry' are similar to the Light Infantry, but ride into battle in APCs. At brigade level and above Mechanised Infantry formations incorporate their own armour support.

Armour - the mailed fist of any Skgorrian punch, Skgorrian armour formations engage enemy armour and use their combined mobility, firepower and armour to deadly effect. Having learnt the hard way about how vulnerable tanks are without infantry, Skgorrian tanks are rarely seen without infantry.

Artillery - the Soviet influence upon the Skgorrian military shows here as very few nations have dedicated artillery formations. A left-over of the long standing cold war between Atopiana and Skgorria, they are in the process of being re-organised and so artillery formations bigger than brigade level are rare.

NBC Warfare - the Atopian Badlands are an incredibly hospitable place, and given the Skgorrian need to occupy and defend these regions in a time of war a new type of formation was called for. In addition, the profileration of NBC weapons and governments' willingness to use them means that the Skgorrian Ground Forces are likely to encounter more of these regions in the future. Whilst all soldiers are trained in NBC warfare, few units are capable of operating in these regions for long-term. Enter the NBC Warfare units, currently grouped under 1st NBC Warfare Army. These formations have large numbers of medical personnel, as exposure to NBC hazards is likely, and logistics personnel, as equipment is more likely to fail under these conditions.

Air Defence - both organic and stand-alone formations, these formations control the ground based anti-aircraft weaponry.

Coast Defence - Very few in number, these formations have ground based anti-ship weaponry, anti-aircraft weaponry to defend against carrier-based air attacks and mechanised and armoured forces to react quickly to enemy landings.

[Skgorria]

Government

State Security Forces

The State Security Forces serve as the guardians of the law and guardians of the people and are the thin line between order and anarchy - acorrding to government rhetoric. In reality, they are brutes who clamp down heavily and quickly on dissent. As well as uniformed officers, they also employ many informants and citizens are encouraged to inform on any suspected criminals. Whilst this seems horrific to anyone who has grown up in a democracy, one must remember that the Skgorrian people have a long tradition of authoritarianism and they see these extreme police powers as a necessary evil to safeguard society.

State Security begins recruiting whilst children are undergoing education and there is no maximum age at which someone can apply to join the State Security Forces, as the SSF believes that many citizens have valuable skills that can be used. It is quite common for veterans of the military, especially the Ground Forces, to go and work in the SSF after leaving their service. As per Skgorrian government policy, there is no compulsory retirement age.

Unit Types

The SSF has a wide range of tasks to fulfil, and several specialised formations are called for. As well as the standard uniformed patrol officer, the SSF employs:

Animal Units - be they dogs, wolves or anything else that can be tamed, these units are excellent for crowd control and for dealing with hostile animals.

Border Patrol - working closely with the Ground Forces and the Air Forces, the Border Patrol detachments of the SSF keep Skgorria's borders locked down.

Riot Response - in the event any mass civil disobedience breaks out, these officers will lead the State's response. Armed with water cannons, gas grenades, tazer batons and shields, it would be a foolhardy rioter who stood up to these officers.

Tactical Response Teams - SSF officers are armed, but sometimes this firepower is not enough. For those occasions the SSF draws upon the firepower and experience of the TRTs who are armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry and well trained and equipped to deal with a wide range of dangerous situations. Many of the officers are veterans of the Ground Forces, and the TRTs maintain close links with the Special Action Units of the Ground Forces.

Surveillance Teams - these officers monitor the vast array of listening and watching devices that the SSF uses to keep track of crime and citizens. This division works closely with GovNet to ensure that the internet remains a safe and crime-free place.

[Skgorria]

People

Ethnic Groups

The dominant ethnic group are the Skgorrians, who are themselves a Slavic people. Atopians are the next most prominent grouping, due to the destruction of Atopiana and the close political relationship between the two nations. A large German presence can be found here as many German POWs were sent to Skgorria after WW2. A significant number of Russians live in Skgorria, a leftover of the country's membership of the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union.

Education

Education is compulsory for all children in Skgorria up until the age of 18. The education system is broken down as follows:

Ages 5 - 10 attend Early School.
11-16 attend Middle School. At age 16 a series of tests are taken to determine which type of education a child should continue with, practical or academic. The results of this test determine which Senior School they attend.
16 - 18 attend Senior School. More skills are learnt in preparation for Termination.
18 - 21 Termination. Those on the practical stream will go to a 3-year apprenticeship, those on the academic stream will go to university, those who have chosen military service enter the military.

[Skgorria]

Communications

Communications in Skgorria are subject to strict government controls, or in some cases are owned by the government. Government representatives work at all levels in these corporations and act as censors, reporting anything suspicious to the police. Nevertheless, most television and radio stations are privately owned and funded. The sole internet provider at the moment is GovNet, a government agency, as the government is seeking to establish an effective internet system first before allowing a free market to develop.

Broadcasting Corporations

Skgorrian News Network (Radio and Television)

Skgorrian News Network, or SNN, is a dedicated news provider. It provides both local and international news.

Global (Television)

Global provides programmes from all around the world. It operates several channels that cater for a wide taste of interests, such as music, arts, drama, action and films.

SmashJamz! (Radio)

SmashJamz! provides several stations of music, both international and local.

GovNet (Radio and Television)

GovNet brings news and thoughts straight from the government. It broadcasts taped sessions of Elder Council meetings, as well as coverage of government projects and decisions. It also broadcasts statements from Elders or other government officials, and can cut in over broadcasts on other stations.

Eurocorp (Television)

Eurocorp provides television programmes that are of European origin, many of them in either German or Russian.

INTV (Television)

INTV is Global's competitor and both stations compete for international programmes, though INTV aims at an older audience. As a result, this channel hosts many so-called 'classics'.

Voice of Skgorria (Radio)

Voice of Skgorria provides radio programmes of Skgorrian origin and operates several stations to play music, cultural, educational and entertainment pieces.

People's Broadcasting Division (Television and Radio)

Another government-operated corporation, the People's Broadcasting Division broadcasts amateur programmes. Citizens are encouraged to send their pieces into the studios via mail or the internet and then the chosen pieces are put on air.

Internet

Skgorria's cities are well provided with broadband internet, yet many of the rural areas either only have dial-up or none at all. Many of these areas were proving very expensive to develop and so the free market was responding to them very slowly. As a result GovNet bought the ISPs that were operating in Skgorria and with additional government funds is massively increasing the infrastructure. The program is proving expensive but very popular with rural Skgorrians, who have traditionally felt isolated from the cities. There is some debate as to whether GovNet will sell off parts of the network after it has been established, but this remains to be seen.

For those citizens that have internet access, it is closely monitored. Very few web pages are outright banned, but if someone repeatedly visits suspicous pages then the police are notified.

[Skgorria]

Miscellaneous

National Anthem

Gather Skgorrians, and sing our song!
Sing of the pride in our ancestors' deeds
Sing of the tenderness we show our partners
Sing of the guidance we give our children

Hail, hail Skgorria!
Bold and proud and true.
Hail, hail Skgorria!
We all serve you true

In hours of need and suffering
We stand firm and together
In hours of pleasure and splendour
Our nation's joy knows no bounds!

Hail, Hail Skgorria!
Bold and proud and true.
Hail, Hail Skgorria!
We all serve you true.