Merala

Merala, officially the United Socialist Meralan States (Castrian: Estados Unidos Socialistas Meralenses; EUSM) is a country in the southern portion of Antigonia, It is borded to the north by Temischa; to the south and west by the Cirenian Ocean; and to the east by the Gulf of Merala. Merala covers 4,769,248 square kilometers (1,841,416.95 sq mi) and has approximately 145 million inhabitants, making it one of the world’s largest countries by area and population, and the most populous Castrian-speaking nation. It is a federation comprising 42 states and Anochtepec, its capital city and largest metropolis. Other major urban areas include Yanga, Taovayzes, Caracapa, Tequesta, Atepe, Monterayón, and Chutchui.

Pre-Contact Merala traces its origins to 8,000 BCE and is identifies as one of the cradles of civilization; it was home to many advanced Notogonian civilizations, most well-known among them the Winic and the Totlecs. In 1517, the Verdesan Empire conquered and colonized their territories, which collectively became known as New Verdesa. The Catholic Church played an important role as millions of indigenous inhabitants converted. These populations were heavily exploited to mine rich deposits of precious metals, which became a major source of wealth for the Verdesans. Merala became an independent with Acronian support after the successful Meralan War of Independence against Verdesa in 1804.

The nascent country established itself as a presidential federal republic, quickly forming trade relationships with major Elysian powers and it also signed the first equal treaties with Serican countries, with the Meralan Peso becoming one of the first global currencies. Despite this, Vazandian disputes over property led to the Princes’ War in which Vazandian nobles attempted to establish a puppet state using mercenaries, but were expelled thanks to a combined effort by Merala, Acronia and Temischa. The following years were marked by the rise of Belisario Tasoyo, who became president in 1868 and consolidated power for himself and the Progressive Party, establishing a dictatorship characterized by rapid industrialization, modernization, political repression, corruption and widening economic and social inequality leading to the Meralan Civil War and the establishment of a socialist state under the control of the Revolutionary Communist Party in 1920. Merala played a major supporting role in the Second Great War, and the Post-War era saw the creation of an information network designed to assist economic planning, and political strife that led to major democratic reforms.

Merala is a developed country, and has high human development, boasting the second-largest economy in Antigonia. Its large economy and population, global cultural influence, and technological innovations make Merala a regional and emerging power. It ranks highly in some metrics of national performance, including health care and education, with government policies having largely eradicated hunger and poverty, with Merala boasting among the lowest malnutrition rates in the world as a result. However, the country struggles in addressing the inequalities between cities and remote indigenous areas and international non-governmental organizations and experts consider Merala as an authoritarian regime, without free and fair multi-party competitive elections and have accused the Meralan government of numerous human rights abuses, including short-term arbitrary imprisonment and jailing of political opponents, purges and curtailed press freedom.

Merala ranks first in Antigonia and highly in the world for number of World Heritage Sites. Merala is an ecologically megadiverse country, ranking highly in the world for its natural biodiversity. Merala receives a significant number of tourists every year, in 2019, it was the most-visited country in Antigonia and one of the most-visited in the world with 45 million international arrivals. Merala is a founding member of the Congress of Nations, the Vastava Pact, the Council of Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Community of Petroleum Producing Countries.

Etymology
The term Merala originated from a typo made by Acronian explorer Jean-Marie de Blanquefort, who was hired by the Verdesan crown to explore and settle territories in its name. Whilst he originally named the land “Nueva Verdesa” (New Verdesa), a name that was adopted in a royal decree on September 16 1517, the origins of the term Merala surfaced from a typo he made on a letter to the court notifying them of his discoveries:

"La tierra es verde y fértil, cubierta de preciosas maderas y llenas de extraordinarias bestias. Los nativos son gente dócil y honesta, bien organizados. Es posible amaestrar estas nuevas tierras que he nombrado en honor a su reino con su ayuda, sin tener que caer en los excesos de previas conquistas. Es por la gracia de Dios que se nos ha bendecidos con estas tierras del mer [mar] allá."

"The land is green and fertile, covered of precious woods and full of extraordinary beasts. The natives are docile and honest people, very organized. It is possible to conquer these new lands I have named in honor of your kingdom with their help, without having to fall into the excesses of previous conquests. It is by the grace of God that we have been blessed with these lands from the mer [sea] beyond."

This typo quickly became the subject of ridicule in the court and the general public, with the lands often being referred as Mer Allá rather than Nueva Verdesa. The term Merala properly appeared for the first time in a graffiti found in the port of Laguna del Borde a Verdesan city from which various expeditions originated:

"Se buscan marineros y soldados estúpidos para luchar contra enemigos notorios por comer corazones en las tierras de Merala"

"Stupid sailors and solders are wanted to fight against enemies notorious for eating hearts in the lands of Merala"

The name Merala became the colloquial name of New Verdesa. The official name of the country has changed as the form of government has changed. The declaration of independence signed on 8 December 1786 by the deputies of the Congress of Paseo del Norte called the territory Antigonia Austral (Southern Antigonia); the 1804 Treaty of Odèneville also used Antigonia Austral. Both pre-revolutionary constitutions (1808, 1857) used the name Estados Unidos Meralenses, which have been translated as "United Meralan States". The 1916 Constitutional Convention, the current constitution, changed the named to Estados Unidos Socialistas Meralenses, United Meralan Socialist States in Cambrian.

Geography
Meraka is located in the southern portion of Antigonia. Almost all of Merala lies within the Antigonian Plate, with the archipelago of Chichumel belonging to the Verico Plate. Merala also borders the Tiburones Plate to its southwest, and the Cirenian Plate as well the Barbosa Plate to its northwest.

Merala's total land area is 4,769,248 km2 (1,841,416.95 sq mi), making it the largest country in Antigonia by total area. It has coastlines on the Cirenian Ocean and the Gulf of Damiya, as well as the Gulf of Merala and the Verico Sea, the latter two forming part of the Fale Ocean. Within these seas, Merala possess a sizeable amount of island territory, and it covers an impressive amount of land from its farthest points.

On its northeast, Merala shares a border with Temischa. This border is defined by Lake Piapa, from which the Tomichi River flows from and delineate the Temischa-Merala border via a series of natural and artificial borders all the way to the Tomichi Delta. On its northwest, the border is defined by Lake Titsapa, from which the Timpanogos River flows into Lake Pahasu and from which the Awanga River flows into Gulf of Damiya.

Merala is crossed from north to south by two mountain ranges known as the Sierra Verde Oriental and the Sierra Verde Occidental both being extensions of the Asinwati Mountains from northern Antigonia. From east to west at the center, the country is crossed by the Sierra de Fuego, a volcanic belt, containing the Totlec Lakes. A fourth mountain range, the Sierra Verde del Sur, runs from Zuanga to Yoknal.

As such, the majority of the Merala central territories are located at high altitudes, and the highest elevations are found at the Sierra de Fuego: Iztactépetl (5,700 m or 18,701 ft), Mixtitépetl (5,462 m or 17,920 ft) and Sepayatépetl (5,286 m or 17,343 ft) and the Atictépetl (4,577 m or 15,016 ft). Three major urban agglomerations are located in the valleys between these four elevations: Nepintahihui, Anochtepec and Cuetlaxcoapan.

Government
The United Socialist Meralan States are a federation whose government is representative, socialist and republican based on a semi-presidential according to the 1916 Constitution. After amendments in 1994, the constitution establishes four levels of government: the federal union, the state governments, the municipal governments and borough governments. According to the constitution, all constituent states of the federation must have a republican form of government composed of three branches: the executive, represented by a governor and an appointed cabinet, the legislative branch constituted by a unicameral congress and the judiciary, which will include a state Supreme Court of Justice. They also have their own civil and judicial codes. Boroughs are unique in that they are directly ruled by their inhabitants, via popular assemblies. Municipalities and boroughs with substantial indigenous populations are ruled by traditional and customary law.

The federal legislature is the bicameral People's Congress, composed of the Chamber of States and the People's Chamber. The Congress makes federal law, declares war, imposes taxes, approves the Six-Year Plans, national budget and international treaties, and ratifies diplomatic appointments. The Congress meets twice every year, and legislative power is held by the cabinet.

The People's Congress, as well as the state legislatures, are elected via secret ballot with representatives serving non-renewable three-year terms with no possibility of re-election. Candidates are approved by public referendum. The People's Chamber has 500 deputies and the Chamber of States is made up of 128 representatives. All Meralan citizens over 16 who have not been convicted of a criminal offense can vote.

The president of the Republic, currently Sebastián Hanrahán, is the head of state, elected by the People's Congress. The first secretary, currently Ariel Vergara Lang, is the head of government, appointed by the president of the Republic and approved by the People's Congress to lead the Government of Merala.

The highest organ of the judicial branch of government is the People's Supreme Court of Justice, the national supreme court, which has eleven judges elected by popular vote. The People's Supreme Court of Justice interprets laws and judges cases of federal competency. Other institutions of the judiciary are the Federal Electoral Tribunal, collegiate, unitary and district tribunals, and the Council of the Federal Judiciary.

Politics
Meralan politics are dominated by the Revolutionary Communist Party (PRC), a communist party that is the sole legal and vanguard party in Merala created in 1916 out of the surviving members of the Meralan Democratic Socialist Party during the Meralan Civil War. Unlike most Vastava Pact countries, the party is subordinated to the state, there is a clear divide between party and state, as the President of the Republic does not hold a leadership position within the party. This was done in order to avoid consolidating too much power within one individual but in practice, party leadership was composed of individuals subordinated to the president until 2000.

The party is led by the Party President, currently Raúl Alfonso Mourinho, elected every six years which is the most powerful position in the party. The General Secretary, currently Ernesto Orozco, is subservient to the Party President and is in charge of the day-to-day running of the party and elected every three years. This is in stark contrast to most communist parties worldwide, wherein the position of General Secretary is the most powerful and whose officeholder is also head of state and/or government in Vastava Pact countries.

The Congress is the supreme organism of the party, which convenes every six years and is the party's main decision-making body, defining the party's political orientation and activities as well as electing the members of the Central Committee. Party Conferences are convened every three years to discuss party policies, make personnel changes within the party and elect the members of the Central Auditing Commission.

The Central Committee acts on behalf of the Congress when not in session, directing party activities. The Central Auditing Commission is responsible for supervising the handling of affairs by the central bodies of the Party, it audits the accounts of the Treasury and the activities and directives of the Central Committee, ensuring compliance with the party statute.

The Politburo is the highest organ when the Congress and Central Committee are not in session, is in charge of policy-making and headed by the Party President. This organ is assisted in these functions by the Secretariat, which manages and directs the day-to-day operations of the party and is headed by the General Secretary; and the Organizational Bureau, which coordinates party cadres and activities. All organizations within the party are supervised by the Central Control Commission, the party's disciplinary body.

Due to the illegality of other political parties, the Meralan oppossition is forced to operate and finance itself internationally, with their activities within the country being limited due to strong surveillance.

The military in Merala does not participate in politics and is under civilian control.

Economy
Merala maintains a state-controlled planned economy, whereby production and distribution of goods were centralized and directed by the government, managed through the Sistema de Administración Económica Automatizada. This means that resource allocation is managed by a interlinked computerized system composed of a five-tier network with computer centers in Anochtepec, Yanga, Caracapa, Atepe, Guamachil and Kaminaljuyú with various midlevel and local centers spread throughout the country. The economy is directed by six-year plans, carried out by the Secretaries of Planning, Finance, and Economy; which are reviewed and adjusted or modified every three years. Allocated resources and plan targets are denominated in physical goods and set by the government, although how these plan targets are met is left up to the producers. Most of the means of production are owned and run by the government and most of the labor force is employed by the state, although cooperatives, self-employment and independent businesses exist. Foreign companies are also allowed to operate in the country, but they must comply with Meralan labor laws and pay the government directly, which in turn pays the employees.