1. Geography
The Monarchy is located on a huge island in a chain of islands in the South Seas. It is by far the largest in the area. It is 3,854,085 square miles. It claims all waters up to two miles from its coastline. Although once covered by a huge rainforest, the east has been largely modernized. Most of the trees have been cut down to make way for cities, towns and industry. The western half of the country is still mostly covered by rainforest. The east has three-and-a-half seasons, with some snowfall but not a ton. The west has typical rainforest weather, with temperatures reaching the 100s and averaging in the 90s. The terrain is not very hilly at all; however, there are some small mountains in the rainforest. Moss Valley in the Northwestern part of the country is the lowest point. Although abundant in the materials to make steel, steel is largely no longer exported due to most mills being destroyed in the civil war. Nowadays, animals and lumber are exported out of the rainforest. There are no natural hazards. Beldonian natives living in the rainforest frequently make efforts to protect the forest; however, they are presently having no luck, as lumber is needed for export.
2. Economy
Having a super capitalist economy, companies are allowed to sell whatever they want, as long as the items are not deemed unsafe or crappy by the government. There is no data for a poverty line; however, most citizens in the west lead affluent lives while many citizens in the east have to farm to make a living. There is no official unemployment. If a worker is fired or layed off, he is given a job in the lumber or coal mining business. He is granted equal pay as the normal workers, but is given easier hours in order to search for a job. The income tax rate is 26% and is the same for the rich and the poor. Average income per household is 98,637 dollars. The major exports are lumber and meat. Steel could easily make a comeback very soon. As for domestic industry, there are restaurants, department stores, grocers and just about any kind of store you can think of. The main source of energy is coal, which is found naturally. The currency is the dollar.
3. History
Beldonia has a relatively short history. In the past, it was made up of tribes, all of them white. The tribes governed themselves according to tradition and just did their thing. There was little diplomacy between tribes, and an official country did not exist. In 1823, a group of Catholic bishops founded the Theocracy of Beldonia. Their first act was to begin clearing the rainforest to promote industrialization and the establishment of a connected country. The system was simple: any bishop ordained in Beldonia had an equal vote in making laws, pardoning criminals, declaring war, judging court cases and anything else a government might do. Beldonia was a peaceful nation for much of the theocratic period, remaining neutral in all main wars. In the 1980s, a new system of government emerged. There were two houses: the first contained positions such as attorney general, seceretary of war and seceretary of state, basically the members of the cabinet today. The other house was all the bishops ordained in Beldonia. The voting process was never revealed to the public, but the two houses basically had to come to a concensus about whatever they were doing. Civil war happened. Most people were against the role of the bishops in government and demanded a new system of government. James P. Crowley, the Seceretary of Defense and War (combined position), found an old law stating that at the time of civil war, the person "whose intervention would be most prudent" had the right to take absolute control of the nation. Crowley decided that this meant him, and the other government officials could not disagree. Although it was a long battle, the civil war ended under the fantastic leadership of Crowley. Under the new system of government, there would be a president and his cabinet, a parliment and a supreme court. Bishops were welcome to run for any position but were no longer entitled. In the first ever presidential election, James P. Crowley won in a landslide and became the first president of the Democratic Republic of Beldonia. Some years later, the people decided that they wanted the tradition that a monarchy could offer. A refferendum was held, and a monarchy was put into place. The people decided that national hero James P. Crowley would be crowned the first king. After his death, his son Reuben took the throne.
4. Military
The Beldonian military is made up of an army, navy and air force, with the marines and coast guard under thew jurisdiction of the navy.
5. Government and Political Structure
The Democratic Republic of Beldonia is a monarchy, with the king and prime minister acting as heads of government. The parliment, elected by the people, passes a bill, which the king and prime minister must sign in order to make it a law. The king appoints judges; the judicial system is identical to that of the RL United States. The members of the cabinet have their own specific jobs to o according to their position. The capital is Benry, with a population of 36 million. Other major cities are Lenahan, Scarborough, Gerace, Canalave, Amity City and Hantz, with populations of 31, 28, 21, 16, 15 and 12 million, respectively. There are six provinces of Beldonia: Rushton, Forest Land, Cusak, Leeyumm, Elrod and The Capital Territory. The capitals of the provinces are: Hantz, Trainta (pop. 101,000), Amity City (pop. 15 million), Gerace and Lenahan, respictively. The Capital Territory's capital is Benry, same as the country. The date of independence is July 9, 1823, which is also Independence Day. The constitution was written in late 2009 and borrows heavily from the American constitution. All citizens over the age of 16 may vote in any applicable election. All cabinet members and the prime minister are selected by the president upon election.
6. People and Population
The total population of Beldonia is over 500 million, and it is growing. The average age is 30. Most people from another country are able to emigrate; however, Beldonian officials may keep people out if there is a good reason to do so. The life expectancy at birth for men is 68; for women it is 90. The country is 84% white, 11% black and 5% asian. 93% of the population is Catholic, 6% is bhuddist and 1% is Muslim. Everyone speaks English and everyone can read.
7. Communications
Every household in Rushton, Cusak, Leeyum, Lenahan and The Capital Territory owns a television. About 43% of households in Forest Land own televisions. Every household has a telephone and radio. The major radio stations are: 263.7BPR (Beldonian Public Radio), 637.9TCT (Today in The Capital Territory), 59FX (Fox News--yes, it's here, too!) and 777.7 BS (Beldonian Sports). The major television networks are LBC, BBC, FOX and TKCB (The Kid Comes Back).
