The Grand Duchy of Radictistan Factbook
History of Radictistan
The exact details of Radictistan’s founding are unclear, but it is know that the area was first settled by a cadet branch of the eccentric Radicti family. Many of the place names familiar to Radictistani subjects are named after members of the first party to land on the coast of what is now the County of Eastval. According to the accounts passed down from those early explorers, they were guided by the idealistic (or some say, foolish) goal of founding a land where respect for individual rights could coexist with fervent nationalism and Third Way economics. Whether they have accomplished these lofty goals is something the Radicti, who now style themselves as the Royal Family of Radictistan, are often reluctant to answer.
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan has largely developed in isolation with few major interactions with the outside world except for the importation of arms. This pattern has changed a little in recent years with the deployment of Radictistani troops on humanitarian and public order operations to other countries suffering from recent disaster or strife.
Government of Radictistan
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan is a constitutional hereditary monarchy ruled by His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Xenocimedes Radicti. Executive power in the Grand Duchy of Radictistan is split between the Grand Duke, who possesses final say on all matters pertaining to national security and foreign affairs, and the Prime Minister, who manages the domestic operations of the country. The bicameral Parliament is comprised of the two-hundred seat House of Delegates elected by a universal franchise of the people and the forty-seat House of Peers which consist of Radictistani nobleman who inherit their seats according to the local customs. The major political parties represented in the Radictistani Parliament are the Fascist Democratic Party, led by the current Prime Minister Zahir Radicleb, and the Liberal Democratic Party, led by the Leader of His Royal Highness’ Loyal Opposition, Decebal Krat. Two smaller parties, the National Conservative Party and the Labor Party of Radictistan, round out the remainder of the Parliamentary seats. The Fascist Democrats have enjoyed a comfortable majority in both the House of Delegates and House of the Peers since Radictistan’s founding with their platform of ruthless protection of democratic values. The Liberal Democrats have made inroads in recent years, especially among younger voters, but their position in favor of increased federalism has met with controversy and cost them several seats in the last general election.
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan is divided into seven Counties, each governed by a Lord Governor appointed by the Sovereign with the consent of the County Assembly. The seven Counties are Norcustsur, Eastval, Hyarpsur, Yestingsur, Westwoodsur, Greater Nuxenstat, and Erdwoodsur. The capital city of Nuxenstat is found within the boundaries of Greater Nuxenstat.
There are two systems of local government in Radictistan. The County of Greater Nuxenstat is divided into nine Metropolitan Departments. The other six Counties are subdivided into Departments and Municipalities. The former are found in rural areas while the latter form the basis of city government.
Geography of Radictistan
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan is located on a peninsula jutting out from the main continent of Morkarea. The northern border is delineated by the fast-flowing Nor River. The northernmost quarter of the country contains the mountainous Norcust region where most of Radictistan’s mineral wealth is found. The Hartfer River flows to the east toward the sea and serves as a major transportation artery. The landmass to the south of this region is flatter. The Radicti River flows due south through a heavily forested region before veering west in order to meet up with the sea. To the east, vast plains account for the nation’s agricultural requirements, fed by the mighty Eastval River.
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan has a total land area of 1,964,453 square kilometers. The highest point is the summit of Mt. Hagan, located in the Norbargen chain, at 4,736 meters. There are no points in Radictistan below sea level.
Demographics of Radictistan
Radictistan has a population of approximately 528,440,000, which computes to a population density of 269 persons per square kilometer. The most populous of Radictistan's seven Counties is Norcustsur with a population of about 130 million. Greater Nuxenstat is the smallest with a population of a mere 17 million. Most Radictistani citizens are either native-born or early settlers; Radictistan attracts few immigrants due to its poverty.
Economy of Radictistan
The Radictistani Economy is based primarily on agriculture, mining, and manufacturing, although the service sector is rapidly growing. Heavy industry is concentrated in Norcustsur and the northern tip of Westwoodsur where the Radicti River and a dense rail network provides ready access to raw materials. Light industry is found in primarily in Westwoodsur, Erdwoodsur, and Greater Nuxenstat. The County of Eastval is Radictistan’s breadbasket. Here, the majority of the country’s grain is grown and the world-famous Eastvali cheese is produced. Hyarpsur to the south is less developed than the rest of the country. The economy is supported primarily by truck farming and scattered pockets of light industry. Fishing is another major industry, found all along the long coastline but especially prevalent along the southwestern coast.
The economy is heavily regulated by the government and many sectors are dominated by government-owned corporations under the aegis of the Royal Radictistan Holdings Corporation. The largest private employer is Radictistan Automotive Works which manufactures a variety of wheeled vehicles for both civilian and military purposes.
The Radictistani economy has experienced a moderate level of economic growth after years of stagnation. GDP per capita is approximately $5,100. A large percentage of total economic activity is informal and therefore unrecorded by the official statistics. This is especially true in the ungovernable blutstats.
The national currency is the Radin which is issued as both coins and banknotes. The Radin is further subdivided into one hundred cents. Coins are minted in denominations of 1, 5, 10, and 25 cents as well as 1 Radin. Banknotes are found in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 Radin.
Major Agricultural Products: Dairy, Oats, Rye, Potatoes, Wheat, Barley
Major Mineral Products: Iron, Lead, Zinc, Nickel, Copper, Uranium
Transportation in Radictistan
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan has a well-developed transportation network on the ground, at sea, and in the air. Radictistan’s rail system consists of 56,362 route-kilometers of track. These rail routes are a major artery for both passenger and freight traffic. 33,852 kilometers are electrified. All rail lines are built to 1435mm gauge. Rail and station infrastructure are well maintained, but the rail network operates mostly at standard speed due to scarce funds for improvement. The fastest route is the Nuxenstat-Hartfer Main Line (NHML) on which trains run at up to 220 km/h. All rail traffic in Radictistan is operated by the state rail operator Royal Radictistan Railways which also owns the rail infrastructure.
There are 44,184 route-kilometers of motorways in the Grand Duchy of Radictistan connecting Nuxenstat with all the provincial capitals. In the densely-populated western half of the country, motorways frequently contain three or more lanes in each direction. In the predominately rural Counties of Yestingsur and Eastval, motorways usually comprise two and sometimes only one lane in each direction. The maximum speed limit on Radictistani motorways is 130 km/h.
Radictistan has two international airports. Nuxenstat Xenocimedes Radicti International Airport (NXR) serves as the main hub of Royal Radictistan Airways, the national flag carrier. NXR, located in the County of Greater Nuxenstat, is the busiest airport in Radictistan by passenger traffic. The other international airport is Norcust-Hartfer International Airport (NH) which is located on the outskirts of Hartfer, the provincial capital of the County of Norcust. Norcust-Hartfer is the second busiest airport by passenger traffic and the busiest by freight volume. It is here that the bulk of international air freight traffic is processed. In addition to the two international airports, the Grand Duchy of Radictistan is home to 337 other civil airfields of which 222 have paved runways. In addition to Royal Radictistan Airways, three other airlines operate scheduled domestic service. The main competitor to the state-owned service is Norcust Aviation based at Norcust-Hartfer. Two low-cost carriers, Blue Kestrel Airways and Eastval Airlines, round out passenger air service in the Grand Duchy of Radictistan.
The Royal Radictistani Merchant Marine consists of 394 ocean-going ships of over 1,000 gross registered tonnes owned and registered in the Grand Duchy of Radictistan. In addition to these vessels, an additional 517 vessels are Radictistani-owned and flagged in foreign nations. The main commercial ports are located at Ghorma and Baronshas on the east coast, Brightburg on the west coast, and Kalanach on the Hyarp Cape.
Communications in Radictistan
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan has an extensive telephone network operated by Royal Radictistan telecom. Most households own a landline telephone. Mobile phone service is available in most areas. Tower coverage is best in the densely-populated and prosperous western half of the country. The international calling code is +12.
About fifty percent of the Radictistani population has access to the internet at their place of residence. Telephone lines are the most common means of access with cable the second most popular. Broadband internet is not widely available outside major cities. The national top level domain is .rd and its derivatives.
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan is well covered by both terrestrial and satellite services. Cable television is also available in most areas. The predominant broadcaster is the Radictistan Broadcasting Service. Wholly-owned by the Radictistani government but largely free from editorial pressures, the RBS operates radio and television services via terrestrial broadcast as well as cable and satellite. The major private television providers are SkyRad (satellite), Worldview (satellite), and Westlink (cable). There are thousands of radio stations in Radictistan which, due to tight media ownership regulations, are almost all independent. All private providers are required to include RBS in their channel lineup.
The major newspapers are the Radictistan Times which holds a center-right editorial stance and the Nuxenstat Word which serves as a mouthpiece for left-wing politics. Second-tier papers include the far-right Radictistan Patriotic Daily and the Brightburg Times. Political parties are not legally permitted to own newspapers or any other form of media outlet.
Military of Radictistan
The Armed Forces of the Grand Duchy of Radictistan consists of the Royal Radictistan Army, the Royal Radictistan Navy, and the Royal Radictistan Air Force. The Army is the largest branch by far consisting of nealy three million personnel in twenty-five Infantry divisions, four Armoured Divisions, one independent Marine brigade, and two independent Military Police brigades, plus smaller independent units. The Royal Radictistan Navy consists of roughly 310,000 personnel divided between the Home, Northern and Forward fleets. The Royal Radictistan Air Force, the smallest service with a mere 160,000 personnel, is divided into several Commands each focused toward a particular aspect of the air warfare mission. The RRAF operates about 700 combat aircraft. The military is regulated by the Ministry of Defense while the Grand Duke serves as its ceromonial Commander-in-Chief.
The enlisted ranks of the Armed Forces are filled by two and three-year conscripts. All native-born Radictistani citizens, male and female are entered into a lottery system at age 17. Those whose numbers are picked are then called up. This system is necessary due to the small size of the Armed Forces relative to the pool of potential conscripts. Students who have been accepted to university may apply for a deferment. Conscientious Objector status is relatively easy to obtain due to the recruit surplus. Conscientious Objectors serve for two years in the Royal Labor Corps. Non-commissioned Officers are former conscripts who have volunteered to stay on past their mandatory commitment. Women are permitted to serve in all positions except for frontline infantry and special forces.
A peculiar entity of the Radictistani defense network is the paramilitary National Defense Organization. This serves as a last ditch defensive militia in the event of an invasion of the Radictistani homeland by a foreign military. The National Defense Organization is optimized for guerrilla warfare and is outfitted with only light weaponry. Senior NDO officers and enlisted men are seconded from the Royal Radictistan Army while junior officers and enlisted men are a mixture of Air Force and Naval reservists and civilian volunteers. Many in the Radictistani defense establishment hold a dim view of the NDO’s potential as a warfighting body. Its members have a reputation for spending their time drinking excessive amounts of alcohol while shooting holes in paper targets. The NDO has a secondary mission of disaster relief.
The Grand Duchy of Radictistan spends roughly a quarter of its budget on defense.
Public Order in Radictistan
Policing in the Grand Duchy of Radictistan is overseen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Royal Security Police performs all national policing duties including regular patrol, border and transportation security, and investigation of serious crimes. The Royal Maritime Police is responsible for port security and undertakes patrols of Radictistan’s coastal waters as well as the Exclusive Economic Zone. Both of these national forces are well equipped with automatic weapons and aircraft.
In addition to the police forces maintained by the national government, the seven Counties maintain their own police agencies. The County of Greater Nuxenstat is served by the Nuxenstat Metropolitan Police. The other six Counties maintain “County Police.” Within those regions, Departments and Municipalities have their own police services. The Metropolitan Departments within Greater Nuxenstat do not have their own police forces. The Nuxenstat Metropolitan Police provide all police service in that area.
Police units in Radictistan are generally well equipped and highly trained. However, the high level of violence in periurban areas makes many parts of the country virtual "no-go" zones for all but the most heavily-armed police units. The Royal Security Police is often called in after County or local police have failed to control a situation. In recent years, the Communist Party of Radictistan, a communist terrorist group, has been perpetrating bomb and shooting attacks within Radictistan, mostly in the northern counties.
Police brutality is almost unheard of due to strict control and surveillance of police personnel while on duty.
Human Rights of Radictistan
Human Rights in Radictistan are generally respected by the government. The right of free speech is constitutionally protected and there is no legal offense of sedition. The rights of assembly, religion, security of correspondence, and a host of others are legally sanctioned and deeply ingrained into the national consciousness. The right to bear arms is considered sacrosanct and the purchase of military-style weapons is subsidized by the government in order to improve the defenses of the state. The suppression of constitutional rights is persecuted as Civil Treason.
The Radictistani people tend to be rather paranoid when it comes to the protection of their civil liberties. This manifests itself most ominously in the existence of the “Directorate of Constitutional Protection,” a secretive agency under the control of the Lord Chancellor responsible for the protection of constitutional rights. Few details are available to the public about the Directorate’s operations but they are rumoured to include intimidation and covert assassination.
Radictistan has capital punishment only during wartime. In order for the nation to considered to be at war, a formal declaration of war must be issued be either Radictistan or a hostile nation. The only crimes punishable by death are High Treason and Civil Treason of the First Degree. Executions are carried out by firing squad.
Culture of Radictistan
Radictistanis are commonly stereotyped as being crude and cynical. There is a certain amount of truth to that assumed repuation, borne from the underperforming economy and a government which is often ineffective at providing basic services. Radictistanis often have to make do or do without and this leaves an indelible mark on the national character.
Radictistanis tend to love their country but hate their government and its institutions. The military is practically the only public institution to arouse anything but contempt from the majority of the population. While it is generally respected, foreign visitors are often shocked by the lack of deferential treatment accorded to military personnel by civilians.
Radictistani cuisine is best described as simple but filling. Preserved meats, fish, root vegetables, and cereals are the primary elements of the national diet. "Eating out" is generally associated only with the wealthier classes. A variety of street food can be purchased in urban areas, with the level of complexity and hygience varying depending on the level of propserity in the region. Radictistanis have a reputation for being hard drinkers and local drinking establishments serve a very important role in both rural and urban social life. Beer and vodka are the preferred beverages.
Sexual mores are fairly relaxed in Radictistan. A majority of Radictistanis become sexually active prior to marriage. Prostitution and other sexually-related industries operate "above ground" and with little additional scrutiny. A number of municipalities have attempted to establish themselves as destinations for sex tourism.
