a) Time on Nationstates: On and off since 2010 ~
b) Previous regions:
- Tetrakon
- Ordis
- Lucerna
- Mingdai / Yotosho
- Haradesh / Vijayadesh
IC National information
a) Nation's IC name: Cordosian Republic
b) Nation's IC population: 48.96 million
c) Nation's IC GDP per capita: $25,100 (nominal), $29,500 (PPP)
d) Nation's type of government: Dominant party, unitary semi-presidential republic
e) Nation's head of state: President Enrique Brasa
f) Nation's head of gov’t (if applicable): Prime Minister Viçente Aramayo
IC National information
a) Brief description of your nation:
The islands of Cordosia, or Halaso Noroko as the islands were previously known by the indigenous population, were at one point home to a number of native maritime states. The largest of which was the Kingdom of Bian Malali (lit. two rapids) which was consolidated around the fortified coastal city of Himebishi. The Malalian kings expanded their rule throughout the Cordosian isles, conquering and absorbing other smaller entities and tribes. Due to the location of the isles and the agricultural resources native to the island the Malalian Kingdom become a center of economic activity in the western North Thalassan Ocean. The Malalian state began to decline in the 1400s, eventually culminating in the Great Revolt of 1402. The Great Revolt saw the uprising of the lower castes of society as well as conquered and repressed peoples from the eastern half of the Cordosian isles. This revolt and the following instability would eventually lead to the Malalian Kingdom’s collapse. The period between the collapse of the Bian Malali and the arrival of Belisarian settlers saw the Cordosian isles ruled by a number of local governing entities, focused around larger settlements and relatively isolated from foreign affairs.
The first Belisarian voyage to Cordosia arrived in 1512 with the arrival of Latin explorers. The settlement of Placidia (alternatively spelled as Plácidia) was one of the first permanent Belisarian settlements on the island and became an important center of commerce in North Thalassan trade. The colonial era saw the further expansion of Belisarian, predominantly Latin, settlements throughout the Cordosian Isles. The Cordosian economy was primarily fueled by the trade of sugar, tobacco, and other new world cash crops. Over time, the fusion of the native Malalian culture and Latin / southern Belisarian settlers lead to the emergence of a distinct society, culture, and language which differed from the Romance peoples of the Belisarian continent. The growing divide between the two societies, compounded with the desire for political change, eventually culminated in the Cordosian War of Independence in 1819. The islands secured their independence on July, 9th 1822 and formed a democratic republic.
The post-Independence era saw Cordosia set about on the path to modernization and transitioning away from a largely agricultural based economy. This was not without issue, of course. Though the republic was growing steadily throughout the latter half of the 19th century the divide between rich and poor grew seemingly exponentially. The republic saw the formation of a plutocratic oligarchy, consolidated around the wealthy upper urban class. Tensions boiled over in 1905 leading to a series of conflicts between the various factions in the Democratic Republic known as the Cordosian Civil War. The Civil War lasted until 1918 and saw the rise and fall of a number of provisional governments. The Treaty of San Vicente in 1918 saw the emergence of a coalition government between the once opposed National Revolutionary Front and the Popular Catholic Party and an end to open hostilities. The two factions merged under President Françisco Sosa, developing a post-colonial socialist ideology unique to Cordosia known as “Soberanism” (derived from Cordosian, soberanía meaning sovereignty). The Popular Revolutionary Party adopted this ideology, a fusion of revolutionary socialism, Christian democracy, and anti-imperialist thought, and set about enshrining its ideals into the constitution. Under Sosa the Cordosian Republic underwent a period of transformation, seeing the creation of strong workers unions and sweeping land reform. The Popular Revolutionary Party has maintained political hegemony into the modern day, largely due to the legacy of the success during the early years of the party. However, the dominance of the PRP has been challenged in recent years. The New Labor Party emerged as a strong contender to the PRP in the 1990s, running on a platform of market socialism and social liberalism.
b) What languages are spoken in your nation?:
Mexican Spanish, Italian, Latin, K'iche', Arawak.
c) What ethnic groups are present in your nation?:
Ethnically diverse, the majority of the population identifies as Mestizo. Following the Mestizo population there is a significant Afro-Caribbean (unsure what to call the regional equivalent at the moment). In certain areas there are still significant minority communities of native K’iche’ and Arawak peoples. In addition, there are minority immigrant communities which arrived during the several waves of immigration from 1790 - 1870.
d) What are the major religions among your population?:
Predominantly Fabrian Catholic.
e) What role do you see your nation fulfilling within the region?:
Definitely a smaller role, however potentially serving as a point of interest in the Pond. It would potentially be beneficial for the larger powers to influence Cordosia for economic and strategic purposes. However in the grand scheme of things I don’t see Cordosia being a huge player, perhaps more concerned with getting what they want through soft power and trade.
f) Briefly describe your nation’s military (including size, role, branches, etc.):
The Cordosian Revolutionary Armed Forces is largely a self defense force which is tasked with the defense of the Cordosian Isles. The CRAF consists of a total of 192,000 men and women (92,000 active and 100,000 reserve)
g) Critically discuss the strengths of your nation (esp. military & economic) and how they may affect existing regional power structures:
Cordosia has a few innate strengths. It has a decent sized population, is an island country, and is relatively wealthy. However it has a number of key weaknesses. It is surrounded by much larger, more powerful nations which has led to a more nuanced approach to foreign policy, again focused on soft power as opposed to military force. Cordosia also lacks certain resources (such as petroleum and some precious metals) which the country relies on imports for. The political situation as of 2018 in Cordosia is also a major flashpoint, the decline of the traditionally dominant PRP and the growing popularity of alternative parties could be disastrous for the nation’s political process if the PRP responds in a repressive / undemocratic manner.
h)If asked to reduce the strength of your nation, how would you do so?
Yes. Either through reducing population, GDPPC, or by adding more resources the country is dependent on for in terms of imports.
IC Geographical/resource
General lists, we don't expect you to know all the details before joining and getting a map place.
a) What does your nation excel in exporting: Electronics, consumer goods, fruits, vegetables, coffee, tobacco, sugar,
b) What does your nation need to import?: Metals, petroleum, some manufacturing machinery and equipment, chemicals, aircraft and aircraft parts
c) What is your country self sufficient on?: Agricultural products / foodstuffs
d) What is your preferred location on the regional map? Ayeli (as talked about on the regional Discord)
Regional history
a) Were you recommended to Ajax?: Nope.
6: Roleplay history
FT thing
A news post