The Kingdom of Greater Rhodes Factbook (Open to Questions)

[Greater Rhodes]

--Information Subject to Change, New Factbook Coming Out Soon--

The Kingdom of Greater Rhodes
Le Royaume de Grandes Rhodes
Il Regno di Grandi Rodi

Motto: Scientia est Lux Lucis (Latin)
"Knowledge is Enlightenment"
Anthem: March of the Colossus

Capital: The Federal District of Valentia
Largest City: Nieuw-Amsterdam
Official (de jure) Languages: English, French, Italian
Recognized Regional (de facto) Languages: Occitan, Corsican, Arabic, Dutch
Demonym: Rhodian
Establishment: May 29th, 1798
Government: Federal Democratic Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
--King: Johannes V
--Prime Minister: Thomas Benetton
Legislature: Federal Parliament / Parlement Fédéral / Parlamento Federale
--Upper House: Senate / Sénat / Senato
--Lower House: National Assembly / Assemblée Nationale / L'Assemblea Nazionale
Population: 106 080 000
Population Density: 125.53 people/km²
Area: 845 050 km²
Currency: Rhodian Ducat (GRD)
Gini Coefficient: .28
HDI: 0.988
Drives on the: Right
Internet TLDs: .gr, .kgr, .rgr
Calling Code: +9

[Greater Rhodes]

A Short Guide to Rhodian Society

--Information Outdated and Subject to Change--

National Symbols
Animal: Peregrine Falcon
Plant: Iris Sanguinea
Tree: Olea Europaea (Olive Tree)
Holiday: Rhodes Day, May 29th
Saints (Unofficial): St. Ignatius/St. Paul/King St. Louis XI
Sport: Fencing
Instrument: Tenor Saxophone


Government Stances
Communism: Neutral
Capitalism: Promotes
Socialism: Promotes
Fascism: Disagrees With
Anarchy: Disagrees With
Theocracy: Disagrees With
Democracy: Promotes
Federalism: Promotes
Dictatorship: Disagree With
Republic: Neutral
Empire: Neutral
Technological developments: Promotes
Militarism: Disagrees With
Education and Science: Promotes
World Assembly: Promotes (we are a delegate nation).

1 - What is the legal drinking age? There is no legal drinking age. However, one must be 16 to purchase beer, and 17 (the age of majority) to purchase other alcoholic beverages.

2 - Driving age? At 15 years of age one can take the non-practical intelligence test for their learner's permit. After either 6 months of driving practice, or 3 months of professional driving instruction, trainees can take their practical exam. If one passes their practical exam they are then put on a year-long probationary period, which also stipulates a zero-tolerance blood alcohol level 0.0 while driving for the first year of holding a licence.

3 - Age of sexual consent? 15, however if a minor chooses to have sexual relations with an adult that adult must be have a birth date within two and a half years of the minor's birth date.

4 - Voting age? Once a citizen has reached the age of majority, seventeen (17) they receive the right to vote.

5 - At what age would someone become an adult (free from parental control)? Seventeen (17), however under special conditions the court can grant a child emancipation from parental control as early as the age of 16.

6 - What types of recreational drugs (if any) are legal? Legal recreational drugs include all alcohol, tobacco, salvia, marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms.

7 - Can people have guns? Private firearm ownership in Greater Rhodes is illegal; there are currently no nationalized firearms manufacturers, and the guns imported by the government are used strictly by the military and police forces. Private security organizations can use firearms only through a government permit or special approval, and even then are only restricted to small arms.

8 - What is the official full name of your country? What is the informal name? What are people of your nation called? The formal is the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes, in French Le Royaume de Grand Rhodes, and in Italian Il Regno di Grand Rodi. and the official demonym is Rhodian, although sometimes colloquially Rhodien and Rodi are used.

9 - Do you have the death penalty? No, the death penalty is prohibited by the constitution.

10 - What is the speed limit? Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit in residential areas is 45 km/hr, in urban areas is 60 km/hr, and on the highway or rural areas is 125 km/hr

11 - What types of religions would are permitted or restricted? All are permitted, none are restricted.

Which of the following are be legal:

12- Porn - All parties must be adult and consenting.

13-Prostitution - Heavily regulated and taxed, but accepted throughout Greater Rhodes.

14-Polygamy/Polyandry/Polyamory - Illegal, save for the latter.

15-Homosexuality - LGBT people have equal rights as anyone else (including marriage), and homosexuality is universally accepted and has not been an issue since the late 1800's

16-Stem cell research -Legal, widely accepted as successful, and government funded.

17-Euthanasia - Painless, voluntary euthanasia in cases of terminal illness is legal, but it cannot be done in privatized clinics, it must be done by Federal Health Service hospitals.

18-Cock Fighting? Illegal

19-Slavery? - Slavery is illegal and unconstitutional in Greater Rhodes, and for the history of the region of Greater Rhodes, slavery only existed when rival city-states/tribes would subject prisoners of war of other city-states/tribes to slavery in labour camps, and this was abolished with the First Rhodian Unification in 1537

20-Hunting? Legal only as a means of livelihood, and as firearms are illegal one must use other means to hunt.

21-Fishing -Legal, however all fishing locations are regulated under the National Fisheries Act of 1958

22-Eating meat? Legal

23-Littering? Illegal, taboo, and results in a fine

24-Unisex bathrooms? Found only in the Canton of Gascay

25-Suicide? - Taboo, and very rare. People who fail to kill themselves in a suicide are legally required to take rehabilitation classes for a minimum of 6 months.

26 -Gay marriage? - See homosexuality

27-Abortion - Abortion is legal, however abortions are not permitted after the first trimester of pregnancy.

28- What types of sexual activity (if any) are illegal? None, except for pedophilia. What consenting Rhodians do in the privacy of their own home is their business.

29- Is your country's/culture clothing optional or mandatory? All clothing is optional; public nudity outside of specified locations is uncommon but not unheard of on a hot summer's day, although partial nudity is much more common.

30-Do you have obscenity laws? If so - how would you define "obscene". -There are no obscenity laws i our nation, however Rhodians are taught that with freedoms come responsibilities.

31(a)-What system do you have for taxes? - We use a progressive income tax system, which does not tax the first 10 000 Ducats one makes. The average tax rate is 13%

31(b)-Sales tax?--Greater Rhodes has a goods and services tax.
Class A goods and services: (general items)=3.5%
Class B goods and services: (alcohol, cigarettes, caffeinated beverages, etc.)=50-400%
Class C goods and services: (marijuana, 'shrooms, prostitution, etc.)=<500%

31-(c)-Import/Export tax? It is variable by product, if it has an excise tax on it, and from where it comes

32-What is the criterion for someone to pass to become a citizen? See Rhodian Immigration Policy

33-What type of government are you? Democratic Multi-Party Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy

34-To what degree is your government allowed to censor or restrict the media? Our government respects freedom of the press except when it compromises national security. The Rhodian government also feels it necessary to provide a content ratings system for the population. This system, however, is based solely on education and to inform. It is the guardian's final choice to restrict a child from viewing or using said media, however this is usually uncommon in itself.

[Greater Rhodes]

King of Greater Rhodes

--Information Outdated and Subject to Change--

Monarch name: His Royal Majesty, by the constitutional law, Johannes V, King of Greater Rhodes, and of its various overseas territories, protectorates, and dependencies.
Full name: Johannes Edmond Alexandre Abrantes
Reign: 1980-Present
Predecessor: HRM Maximilien II King of Greater Rhodes
Born and birthplace: November 22^nd, 1942 at Ospedale San Giorgio in Valentia
Parents: HRM Maximilien II, King of Greater Rhodes (1891-1980) & Queen Josephine of Rhodes (1919-1988)
Grandparents:
Maximilien II--Constantine I, King of Greater Rhodes (1874-1937), & Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (1870-1891)
Joséphine--Louis II, Prince of Monaco (1870-1949) & Ioanna Bartoli (1867-1930)
Great-Grandparents:
Constantine I--Maximilien I, King of Greater Rhodes (1848-1915) & Archduchess Maria Luisa Annunziata Anna Giovanna Giuseppa Antonietta Filomena Appolonia Tomassa of Tuscany (1845-1917)
Alexandra--George I of Greece, (1845-1913) & Olga Constantinovna of Russia (1851-1926)
Louis II--Albert I, Prince of Monaco (1948-1922) & Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton
Ioanna--Leopold Bartoli (1830-1910) & Angélique al-Yassin (1828-1875)
Royal House: House of Abrantes
Consort: Ìsabella of Rhodes
Issue (children):
--HRH Prince Wilfred, Duke of Aulnoria (28)
--HH Princess Haydée, Duchess of Caspianica (25)
--HH Princess Sophia, Duchess of Laurentia (21)
--HH Prince Aeneas, Earl of Valentia (19)
Background:
-King Johannes was primarily educated at the private and prestigious St. Paul's Jesuitas in the capital city of Valentia, and was sent to the private boarding school Collège Maraquette in Olympiapolis at age 13
-Johannes went on to University of Aulnoria to achieve a Double-Honours undergraduate degree in History and Philosophy, with a minor in Arabic, and further went on to achieve a Master's Degree in Philosophy.
-After receiving his Master's Johannes went to train at the Royal Military College in Gordonston, Laurentia, and achieved an officers commission at Major until he succeeded his father as Commander-in-Chief.
-Johannes is an avid painter, fencer, and musician; he can play the flute, guitar, oboe, piano, drums, and euphonium.
-Johannes is fluent in French, Italian, Dutch, Latin, English, and Arabic, and has a satisfactory knowledge of Corsican, Sardinian, Maraquean, Occitan, and Spanish.
Signature:

[Greater Rhodes]

Demographics

--Information Outdated and Subject to Change--

Demographic data in the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes had first started being collected in the Rhodian people’s first census, that being the census of 1808. The job of accumulating, organizing, and tracking this important data has been given to the The Royal Statistics Bureau of Greater Rhodes (STATRHO). The current head of STATRHO, or the Chief Statistician of Greater Rhodes, is Sir Benjamin Gatsby. All of census data for our nation can be found in English, French, and Italian, and up until 1929 (the Soft Revolution), censi were recorded in Latin and Greek as well. Censi are completed by the nation’s population once every two years, and although broad information is sent out to the public every two years, comprehensive and thorough data is sent out to the public and officially recorded approximately every four years. The most up-to-date statistics register was formally distributed to public archives November 1st, 2010. It is usually tradition in Greater Rhodes that statistics are to be due by the government on May 1st, and they are distributed back to the public on November 1st, whether it has been two or four years since the last census. The information mainly focused on in the Rhodian census is population data, although accommodation, household economic, and building/infrastructure data are also provided.

Population: In 2010 the official population of Greater Rhodes was 175 000 000, with 51.1% of the population being male, 47.4% being female, and 1.5% being transgender or gender-queer, classifying themselves as ‘other’. 66.2% of the population in Greater Rhodes as of 2010 have a native citizenship (being born in the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes), and 33.8% of the Rhodian population are foreign-born naturalized immigrants.

Population Growth Rate: Over the last few years, with strong immigration policy and recruitment, and an increased infrastructure quality and quality of living, the population growth rate has increased exponentially, it is recorded in 2010 as being 1.62%

Age Structure:
--0-13 years: 5.33%
--13-17 years: 19.27%
--17-38 years: 54.30%
--38-56 years: 16.42%
--56-70 years: 2.80%
--70 years+: 1.88%

Fertility Rate: Throughout most years through an analysis of the gathered data the fertility rate has been fairly steady, with a somewhat higher fertility rate in Rhodian women than in foreign-born women. The average family consists of approximately 3.92 people.
--Total Average Children Born: 2.34
--Average Children Born per Rhodian Woman: 2.58
--Average Children Born per Foreign Woman: 2.09

Infant Mortality Rate:
--Infant: 1.75/1000births
--Under 5 Years: 1.1/1000 births

Life Expectancy:
--Male: 87.18
--Female: 89.31
--Other: 86.45

HIV/AIDS Prevalence: With such an efficient and social healthcare system as our own, combined with extensive and detailed sex-education courses, the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes is proud to have only a 0.0015% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, which translates to only 1 583 citizens out of a population of 105.55 million.

Literacy: 100%. Society in the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes puts a heavy importance on the ability to read and write. Thus the government itself has taken on the responsibility to ensure that every person above the age of 17 can read and write in at least two of the three official languages.

Religion: Religion is a very important and widely discussed subject in Greater Rhodes, and although most Rhodians conform to a certain religion, they usually have liberal attitudes towards the community-based participation portion (i.e; going to church, mosque, temple, etc.) or just do not go at all. Thus, religion is focused more intrinsically and much more towards what works for the common Rhodian individually, rather than pushing ones religion on other citizens. Many citizens conform to Rhodian Catholicism, which is a more personal, liberally based form of Roman Catholicism with an emphasis on contextual interpretations of scripture, Catholic Social Justice, and Jesuit teachings.
--Agnostic Theism/Deism: 34%
--Irreligion (Atheism/Agnostic Atheism/Secular Humanism): 27%
--Progressivist Islam: 18%
--Rhodian/Eastern Orthodox Catholicism: 15%
--Buddhism: 3%
--Humanistic Judaism: 3%
--Other: 1%

[Greater Rhodes]

Geography

Coming Soon

[Greater Rhodes]

Economics

--Information Outdated and Subject to Change--

Statistics
Currency: The Rhodian Ducat
Currency Sign: ƒ
Fiscal Year: Calendar Year
Gross Domestic Product: $4 470 019 343 790 NSD
GDP Per Capita: $45 093.15 NSD
Exchange Rate: 1ƒ=$2.22 NSD
Inflation Rate: 0.45%
Population Below Poverty Line: 4.8%
Unemployment Rate: 2.57%
Labour Force by Industry: Managerial and Proffessional (58.7%); Technical, Administrative, Sales, and Services (22.9%); Manufacturing, Trades & Craft, and Transportation (15.4%), Farming, Fishing, and Forestry (3.0%)
Main Industries: Information Technology, Uranium Mining, Precision and Scientific Instruments, Gold Mining, Textiles, Creative Industry, Clothing, Minerals, Engineering, Watches, Telecommunications, Tourism, and Microelectronics.

The Kingdom of Greater Rhodes has an exceptionally affluent, technologically advanced, and prosperous pro-market mixed economy. The World Assembly has classified it as a 'powerhouse,' as Greater Rhodes has effectively capitalized on its highly developed infrastructure networks, and a masterfully skilled workforce. In striving to take the best out of both capitalism and socialism, the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes has achieved extensive national welfare coverage, comfortable living standards, progressive legislation in labour. Unlike many other countries, Greater Rhodes has many centres of economic activity around the country. There are such giant metropoli of industry like Port Lindsay and Alexandropolis, or commercial hubs like Bourbonne and Carleton. The city of Nieuw-Amsterdam, however, is arguably the nation's largest commercial hub. It is both the most populated metropolis and has the highest overall GDP per capita of any economic region in Greater Rhodes. Nieuw-Amsterdam is also the home of the Rhodian Stock Exchange (also known as "le bourse" or "La Borsa valori"), Great Trails Insurance, the Royal Rhodian Bank, Dominion Trust Bank of Rhodes, United Rhodian Bank, His Majesty's Finances, and Air Rhodes.

Industry & Trade
Exports: $6 394 782 012 812.13 NSD
Export Goods: Electronics, Gold, Medical and Scientific Instruments, Uranium, Watches, Data Processing Equipment, Textiles, Telecommunications Equipment, and Consumer Goods
Imports: $6 323 712 645 193.12 NSD
Import Goods: Fossil fuels, Chemicals, Food and Beverages, Minerals, Production Machinery and Equipment, Aircraft and aeronautic parts
Trade Surplus: $71 069 367 619.01 NSD

The nation's economy is dominated mainly by the tertiary and quaternary sectors of the economy, as it comprises of 74.2% of the total GDP. The services and technology sectors are paramount to Greater Rhodes' economic growth, with some of the largest sectors being retail and tourism, and the business sector (concerning mainly real estate, trade, and communications). The education and health sectors are also extremely large, however both are under the control of the government. The services sector is based mainly in major cities and metropolis areas. The secondary sector is a very important component of the Rhodian economy at 22.6% of the GDP. Much of the industry sector is located in the east, along the Olympus Mountain Range and at the edges of both seas on the northeast and southeast. Much of the industry sector is devoted to uranium and gold mining, The last 3.2% is claimed by an ever-shrinking primary sector, which is mainly focused in the beautiful countryside of the southwest. The most sought-after crops of the Rhodian agricultural sector are silk, cashmere wool, and potash.

Taxes

The Rhodian government believes greatly in the fairness of its taxes, which are used entirely as revenue for public works and for redistribution to the less fortunate. The median household income of Greater Rhodes is 65 404 NSD, and taxes in our nation are progressive. The first 15 000 NSD of one's gross income is left untaxed (ex; one who makes 100 000ƒ a year are only taxed on 85 000ƒ). Other types of income are left untaxed, such as: gifts and inheritances, gambling and lottery winnings, pensions, government or worker's compensation, and the gain on the sale of a home. There is no national Goods and Services or Value Added Taxes, however there are excise taxes and a Cantonal Goods and Services Tax (CGST). This tax, however, excludes basic necessities to those who are under the age of majority. Concerning the municipal governments, there are property taxes and levies of varying degrees, depending on the municipality. Greater Rhodes is distinct in that community service or any other way in which one positively gives back to the nation can be awarded a tax break in any portion of taxes except the CGST.

Income Tax
<$20 001 NSD/year=Not taxed
$20 001-35 000 NSD/year=5.32% income tax.
$35 001-55 000 NSD/year=7.45% income tax.
$55 001-82 000 NSD/year=10.05% income tax.
$82 001-110 000 NSD/year=12.28% income tax.
$110 001-$275 000 NSD/year=15.01% income tax.
$275 000+ NSD/year=20.25% income tax

Corporate Tax*
Micro-business: 3.50%
Small business:5.95%
Medium-sized business: 10.12%
Big business: 18.10%
*Not including taxes on pollution or other factors which affect the environment

Cantonal Services Tax
Aulnoria: 2%
Caspianica: 2%
Laurentia: No CGST
Olympia: 4%
Côte d'Or: 3%
Romagna: 5%
Gascay: 7%
Allaghese: 5%
Colovía: 2%
Philippia: 3%
Capetia: 2%
Brabant: 4%
Piedmonte: No CGST
Òltranto: 4%
Federal District of Valentia: No CGST

Excise Taxes
Class A goods and services: (general items)=0-2.5%
Class B goods and services: (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, etc.)=10-50%
Class C goods and services: (psilocybin mushrooms, prostitution, etc.)=50-125%

[Greater Rhodes]

Government

Greater Rhodes' government and political policy works within the framework of a federal, multi-party, democratic parliamentary constitutional monarchy. How the government should operate is codified in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Greater Rhodes, which officially formed and consolidated the nation as a free, democratic country in 1793. In accordance with the Constitution, governmental and political power has been separated into three branches; those being the executive, and the legislative, and the judicial. The seat of the federal government is situated in Greater Rhodes' capital, the Federal District of Valentia

The Monarchy

After the great political reform of the Rhodian Revolution in the late 1780’s and early 1790’s, the monarchy relinquished its absolute power in government and instead came to agreement on having only ceremonial power, bound by constitution. The main points of this power are that the monarch must give Royal Assent to (he does not have the power of veto) any legislation that has passed through Parliament, and that the monarch, with the approval of the Prime Minister, can grant pardons for crimes against Greater Rhodes and the Rhodian people. However, the constitution also states that the King, as well as the rest of the immediate royal family as a whole, is supposed to be as politically neutral as possible, and no members of the immediate royal family can participate in politics. Other than the Chief Electoral Officer, the reigning monarch and the reigning monarch's spouse are the only citizens of Greater Rhodes who do not have the right to vote.


The Executive

The Rt. Hon. Thomas Benetton, Prime Minister

The elected head of Rhodian government is the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister co-signs and executes all legislation, appoints heads of Crown Corporations, ambassadors to foreign countries, and other important executive positions, and has the power to veto bills (although this veto can be overturned either by a vote of 60% of Parliament, or by a public referendum). The Prime Minister holds a term of a maximum of four years and can be elected for up to three terms. To become Prime Minister one needs to be a Rhodian citizen over the age of twenty that does not hold office in any religious organization within one year of the election.
The Prime Minister's second-in-command is the First Minister, who is not only second in the line of succession to the Office of the Prime Minister but is also his chief advisor. The First Minister usually is the running-mate of the Prime Minister, and serves the same term lengths as the Prime Minister. In an emergency situation in which the Prime Minister dies or is unable to properly lead, the First Minister would serve as Prime Minister until another election has been completed, or for a maximum of six months (whichever is sooner). The current First Minister is The Right Honourable Anastasia Mimieux
The Prime Minister also appoints and heads the Royal Council, a collective of the leaders of the ministries of government in Greater Rhodes. A Minister on the Royal Council must have served in Parliament for at least 1.5 terms (approximately 3 years). The role of the Royal Council in the government of Greater Rhodes is mainly to advise the Prime Minister on issues concerning the specific area which they administrate. As such, both the Prime Minister and Royal Council are seen by the public as collectively responsible for all executive decisions. Many ministers also chair or co-chair other government councils and board, and all ministers are addressed as "The Honourable, MP." The Ministers of the Royal Council of the Benetton administration are:

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration--Georges Anaximandros
Minister of Culture and Tourism--Jore Guillén
Minister of Defence--Vicente Alaedin
Minister of Education--Dr. Erasmus ibn-Castiglione
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Félix Hutton
Minister of Health and Medical Services--Dr. Penelope Rheaume
Minister of International Trade and Finance--Enzo de Medici
Minister of the Interior*--Dr. Luís Villefort
Minister of Justice--Attorney-General Dr. Ioanna Vannan
Minister of Labour--Dr. Étienne Tsouras
Minister of Social Welfare and Development--Anna-Sophie Breüel

The Legislative

The Federal Parliament Building, on 1000 Wellington Avenue, Valentia

The Parliamentary system of Greater Rhodes is the legislative body of the Rhodian government. The Federal Parliament is a bicameral legislature consisting of two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate. The Federal Parliament has the sole power to declare war, and ratifies treaties created by the Prime Minister and Royal Council. Although there are different requirements for at what age one can hold office in the National Assembly and the Senate, all those who hold office in Parliament are required to retire by age 65.
The National Assembly is the second chamber (or lower house) of Federal Parliament. most pieces of legislation begin in the National Assembly, and all bills which concern the federal budget and spending must start in the National Assembly, Arguably this chamber's most important power is that it has the authority to call votes of no confidence which if passed by 60% of the Assembly automatically impeaches the Prime Minister and First Minister, and dissolves the Royal Council. There are 520 seats in the National Assembly, with each seat representing a constituency in Greater Rhodes, which are arranged by population. Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected to the National Assembly for two-year terms via a first-past-the-post voting system, and can serve an unlimited amount of terms. All seats are voted on in each election. At any point their term an MP can be impeached by a referendum in their constituency, calling a by-election. To become a Member of Parliament one must be a Rhodian citizen who is at 20 years of age.

House of National Assembly

The National Assembly is headed by the President, who moderates debates, makes rulings on procedure, keeps order and ascertains that assembly proceedings are fair and democratic, as well as other similar responsibilities. The President is elected by the National Assembly in its first session, and is ideally supposed to be as fair and neutral as possible. The President is the only Member of Parliament not allowed to vote on any bills or legislation except for declarations of war and cases of impeachment.
The second chamber of the Federal Parliament is the Senate. Despite the fact that legislation can originate in the Senate, this is very uncommon and thus the main role ofthe Senate is to further debate, edit, and approve or delay all bills and amendments brought forth by the National Assembly. The Senate is essentially the last place that a piece of legislation can be changed before its actual signing into law. The Senate has similar powers to the National Assembly, except that it also approves all federal judicial nominations and nominations for Ambassador to the World Assembly sent by the Prime Minister. To become a Senator a citizen of Greater Rhodes must be at least 25 years old, and must have a permanent residence in Greater Rhodes valued at a minimum of 20 000 Ducats. Each Senator serves a term of six years and can serve a maximum of four terms. The Senate consists of 100 Senators, half of which are elected and half of which are appointed:

• 48 Senators elected by the general populous by canton. Each canton is equally represented by four Senators.
• 2 Senators elected by the general populous of Valentia to represent the Federal District of Valentia.
• 28 Senators appointed by the current political party in power.
• 20 Senators appointed by the King's Loyal Opposition (the federal opposition party with the most seats in the National Assembly)
• 2 Men/Ladies of Merit* nominated by the King and approved by Parliament.

Senate Chamber

The Senate is led by the Chancellor, who is usually also the head of the party in government for the Senate (as opposed to the Consul who is the leader of the King's Loyal Opposition in the Senate). It is the Chancellor's job to act as senatorial whip and make rulings on procedure, however all his or her actions can be subject to appeal. The Chancellor is third-in-line for succession to the Prime Minister of Greater Rhodes behind the First Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

*The Ministry of the Interior oversees departments dealing with energy, communications, transportation, and general national infrastructure
* A Man or Lady of Merit is a person specially recognized by the King for outstanding contributions to their community and/or their country at large. These people usually are members of the Order of Lindos, our nation's highest civilian honours.

[Greater Rhodes]

Prime Minister of Greater Rhodes

Incumbent: Thomas Benjamin Piero Benetton, Esq.
Assumed Office: February 14th, 2010
Predecessor: Sir Felipe Cabral, OL
Birthday and Birthplace: March 15^th, 1966 in Tristámara, Piedmonte
Parents: Amerigo Benetton & Tessa Fischer
Spouse: Paola Zapatero
Children:
--Lorenzo Alois Cristoforo Benetton
--Shoshanna Markéta Anne Benetton
Residence:
--15 Rideau Drive (official)
--Tristámara, Piedmonte (private)
Alma Mater: Alighieri University, University of Brabant
Political Party: Rhodian Centrist Union (RCU)
Political Ideology: Centrist, Progressive
Religious Views: Deism (was brought up as a Reform Jew)
Background:
-Thomas Benetton was born an only child to Amerigo Benetton, a banker at the Royal Rhodian Bank (the second-largest financial institution in Greater Rhodes), and Tessa Fischer, an Aurensian immigrant to Greater Rhodes and former elementary school teacher who temporarily gave up her job to educate her son at home. His mother would be an especially strong influence in his decision to follow a career in politics and eventually run for Prime Minister.
-Thomas was homeschooled until high-school, where he then attended the public school École Jean-Charles Beliveau, and was elected Chancellor of the student council.
-He then attended the private Alighieri University in Nieuw-Amsterdam, where he completed a Double-Honours Bachelor's of Arts degree, majoring in Political Studies and Diplomacy, and minoring in Logic. After graduating from Alighieri Thomas returned to his hometown of Tristámara, where he furthered his education with a J.D in law, specializing in constitutional law.
-In his second year of law school Benetton was offered an internship at the law firm Thompson & Morrel, where he practiced law from 1984 to 1992. After losing the 1988 election to his canton's legislative body, Thomas is elected as a member of the cantonal legislature in 1992, where he served for four years, and later to a national Senate seat in the Federal District of Valentia, where he served two terms (1997-2003 and 2003-2009). In 2008 during an RCU caucus meeting in the town of Chambord, Benetton was appointed head of the Rhodian Centrist Union with the majority of his party members behind his announcement to run for Prime Minister.
-Benetton is known to be a very charismatic speaker, and is often hailed as one of the more skilled orators of the late-20th and 21st centuries.
-The Prime Minister fluently speaks English, French, Italian, Dutch, Maraquean, Mandarin, and Hebrew, has a satisfactory knowledge of Occitan and Grittonian, and is just starting to learn some Catalan. His mother tongue is Italian.
Signature:

[Greater Rhodes]

There will be a new, updated Rhodian Factbook coming out for 2011 (called the Codex Rhodos), and in it there will be a section for answers to some of the international community's questions for Greater Rhodes. As the new factbook will stay closed for a while after it has been published, if any nation has questions about our country they can present them here, and we would be more than willing to answer them here and post some of the better ones on our upcoming factbook. So, we invite you to ask away!

[Seperate Vermont]

How does Greater Rhodes implement flexibility in it's education system?

[Greater Rhodes]

How does Greater Rhodes implement flexibility in it's education system?

With the elementary and middle years of the Rhodian school system (up to ~age 12) being mainly a foundation for further study, most Rhodian collegiate (high school) students have a great amount of choice as to what courses they want to take, with the only required courses being Math and Literature, as well as the assistance of certified advisors to help listen to a student's needs and guide them in their choices. In the later grades of school students also have the opportunity of taking a variety of introductory university courses (such as Intro to Business, Intro to Medicine, Intro to Law) giving them insight into what studying in the field might be like. Students have the freedom to switch in and out of these classes at any time. Also, there is no standardized test to get into university (it is based on grade averages), thus eliminating the need to force students to take courses to help them do well on such a test. In university of course students are able to take whatever courses they wish, with little restriction.

[Greater Rhodes]

*Bump*

[Seperate Vermont]

How would Greater Rhodes define "ideal economic prosperity"?