Lylybium

Lylybium (pronounced /laɪliːbaɪʊm/ or /lɪliːbiːʏm/), officially the Confederation of Lylybium and colloquially known as Lilybium, is a country in northern Lajito, a continent on Aven. Lylybium comprises five nations: Arthor, Caarns, Trebium, Namor, and Maror.

The country has a long coastline on the south along the Antigone Ocean and spans from the Caarni plains in the east to the Carpatok mountains in the west. In its center lies the Arthorian plains, through which the Dunar and Odensz rivers flow. Lylybium shares a land border to the east with Arania, to the north with Oise and Caria, to the northwest with Rasenna, and to the west with Rykalia.

Throughout its history, the are has been the center of various empires, such as the Arthorian and Namoran. Since 1997, Lylybium has been governed by the Second Confederation. From 1955 to 1997, it was known as the United Socialist Republics of Lylybium (USRL). The First Confederation of Lylybium existed from 1880 to 1955.

Etymology
The name 'Lylybium' and such derivatives are recognized has having a constructed origin, first appearing in the early 19th century as a romantic term for the area then encompassed by Caarns, Namor, and Arthor. The name derives from ancient references to the city of Lelebyum, the ruins of which were thought to have been uncovered near the present day City of Lylybium.

Internationally, Arthor had long been the name applied to the country and many languages still retain that name. However, Namor has historically been considered a separate country and nation.

In both Namoran and Arthorian, the proper spelling of the name is Lilybium and pronunciation always /lɪliːbiːʏm/. In English however, the name is almost always rendered as Lylybium and an alternative pronunciation, reflecting this spelling, is exceedingly common.

Pre-1800
Culturally and linguistically, the origins of Lylybian history can be traced back to the 2nd century of the Common Era, when the earliest accounts date the presence of the various tribes in modern central Lylybium. Linguistically, these tribes were divided into the Ombrics, the Sabhenics, and the Marsi. As cities grew and city-states developed, the Marsi culture eventually came to dominate the region.

Chief among the Marsian city-states were the "Seven Sisters", Albina, Caarns, Savoy, Siena, Tulcea, and Budria. Nearby civilizations included the Ragnish and the Namorans. By the 6th century, the seven chief city states were becoming united by common cultural trends and became known as the Arthorian city-states.

In 1154, the Namoran Empire began a campaign of expansion against the Arthorian city-states, initiating a series of wars and conquests known collectively as the Great War. In 1226, Albina was conquered, followed by Caarns in 1232. These kingdoms made up the northern part of Arthor. The southern city-states were forcibly united as the Kingdom of Arthor, a client-state to Namor, by 1317.

The 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries saw the falter of Namor's imperial system and the rise of the Kingdom of Arthor. Arthor united most of the city-states under its leadership in 1530 and by 1624 its campaigns against Namor had fully reverse their roles. Arthorian culture also began to spread eastward by the 17th century, particularly through Caarnish colonization.

1800-1920
By the 1800s, the area that today makes up Lylybium was dominated by the Kingdoms of Namor in the west, Arthor in the center, and Caarns to the east. The early decades 1800s saw the spread of the Industrial Revolution in the region, beginning in Caarns and moving west. With the Industrial Revolution came a rising migration to the cities, booming urban populations, and an industrialization of traditional agricultural practices throughout the central plains.

Booming economies and rising urban population density throughout the early- and mid-1800s, in Arthor and Caarns particularly, created catalysts for social change and pressures. Movements to improve social mobility, economic conditions, voting rights, and access to government created intense pressures for progressive change amongst the various kingdoms and nation-states. The prevailing response by ruling powers was centralization of state functions and unification of nation-states.



On May 2, 1857 after a succession crisis in the Caarnish royal family, Caarns and Arthor were united in personal union. The marriage of the nations was a heavily contentious process for both populations. Nevertheless, their formal unison established many precedents for the later creation of the Confederation of Lylybium.

While Arthor's King became the ceremonial head of state of Caarns, the people themselves demanded a republic and the King was made a ceremonial head of state. Caarns wrote a constitution establishing parliament as the seat of government. Later, a parliament would be established in Arthor and a common council for both Arthor and Caarns would be formed, albeit under the control of the King of Arthor.

This period of personal union saw an intense drive to culturally unite the two populations. Their military structures were combined and educational institutions were established and heavily invested in to create common ties between the literate masses of each nation. Popular aesthetic movements of the time were used to create a sense of romantic unity between Arthor and Caarns and all of what was termed "Lylybium".

Namor had been released from Arthorian hegemony in 1803. At that time, Namor and Arthor had signed a treaty to discuss the status of Lower Namor, also known as Trebium. Its international status was disputed and both Namor and Arthor had since made campaigns to increase immigration to the area, further provoking tensions between the respective governments and their populations. Still, the dispute lingered on without a resolution.

War broke out in 1866 and continued until 1870. The First Namoran War was settled by international arbitration and awarded the disputed territory to the Kingdom of Namor.

In 1869, an economic crash precipitated by a devastating famine paralyzed the war effort in Arthor-Caarns and resulted in dire impoverishment for the region's farmers. A wave of economic and political reforms followed. The ruling classes of Arthor-Caarns blamed the economic collapse on inefficiencies in the economic ties between the two nations, particularly in the financial sectors. The solution prescribed was centralization and greater unity between Arthor, Caarns, and the various other nation-states of Lylybium.

With the Treaty of Albina in 1874 Arthor-Caarns and others agreed to open borders, create free trade zones, and to negotiate further economic and military ties. In 1880, this resulted in the formation of the Confederation of Lylybium with the Treaty of Casoria. The Arthorian-Caarnish personal union was ended and many smaller nation-states that had been absorbed by Arthor in the past were released. A constitution was quickly drawn up and formally ratified on November 3rd, 1881.

The Confederation created new avenues for economic growth and initiated a robust period of growth. Nevertheless, while the political and economic elite benefited greatly from the new arrangement, the working classes remained largely as they were. Linguistic and cultural divisions remained, though a narrative of Lylybian community was used effectively to drive a new wave of migration, both to the cities, and to the heartland of Lylybium, where plentiful and rewarding work was promised.

As economic growth continued, class divisions sharpened and working class militarism heightened. Strikes began to plague the Confederation's economic revitalization and political pressures drove new calls for social progress. Limitations on voting rights that remained in some states were repealed and measures to extend participation in government were passed, including new rules for elections and formal regulations on political parties. In 1894, the Declaration of Rights was passed with great fanfare.

Despite political advances, economic tensions remained and intensified further in the 1890s as the economic boom waned. The early 1900s saw the recognition of unions and the passage of various workplace safety laws.

In 1905, following years of agitation in newsprint and popular media, Lylybium launched the Second Namoran War. The war lasted until 1910 and saw the annexation of Namor to the Confederation. Trebium was created from the territory of Namor in 1911, as was Maror in 1913. During the war, laws were passed to silence and arrest dissidents and newspaper censorship increased greatly. Massive casualties in the war led to increasing immigration to Lylybium, prompting new population pressures and political tensions, but also masking popular resentment and discord with the conservative political establishment.

1920-1997
As eastern Lajito was tumulted by socialist revolution, the Confederation experienced waves of progressive policies initiated by the ruling classes punctuated by conservative reaction and vicious class warfare. This period of tension culminated in the Revolution of 1955, which saw the installation of the Communist Party as victor by allied forces under the Socialist Democratic Organization, led by Felijuanez.

As the United Socialist Republics of Lylybium (USRL), and part of the Socialist Democratic Organization, Lylybium became a regional and world power. Internally, the patchwork of national and state structures held together under the First Confederation were consolidated into five entities, known as the five 'Nations' of Lylybium. The status of L'Urbe as capital and chief city of the USRL elevated it to become the largest city in Lylybium.

While the USRL's government heralded greater economic equality, scientifc and social  advancements, and improved quality of life standards, the Communist Party's predominance was sometimes challenged internally and the entire socialist bloc was in near constant heated warfare against capitalist forces.

By the 1970s, the USRL had reached its economic and military zenith and by the 1980s, international communism was faltering. The Socialist Democratic Organization eventually was largely disbaned and in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the USRL relaxed economic restrictions and began presiding over a growing authoritarian capitalism.

The reforms of the 1990s created a rift within Lylybian society between hardliners and those pushing for further reforms. A movement to hold a referendum over the future of the USRL, known as the Renaissance movement, eventually prevailed. On May 1st, 1997, a referendum determined that a plurality of the population wished to see the dissolution of the Socialist Republics as they existed.

Post-1997
The Renaissance movement, following the May 1st referendum of 1997, pushed for a reformation of the old Confederation of Lylybium. On August 21st, 1997, the USRL was formally disbanded as the Central Executive Committee resigned and handed over power to a transitionary council which immediately declared the formation of the Second Confederation of Lylybium.

A constitution was ratified on December 2nd, 1997 and parliamentary elections were held on June 4th, 1998.

Lylybium post-Renaissance instituted gradual privatization and market liberalization. Poverty, almost non-existent in the USRL, dramatically increased, as did death rates. Lylybium entered into a depression. Corruption scandals concerning privatization plagued the government.

After the initial shock of re-capitalization of the Lylybian social economy, since the mid-2000s, the Confederation has seen a consistently rising GDP and the most extreme social imbalances have been eased as social democratic political parties have dominated the government.

Government and Politics
Main article: Politics of Lylybium The government's basic structure is outlined in the 1997 Constitution of the Confederation.

The Confederation of Lylybium is the union of two distinct spheres of government: the Nations and the Confederation. The Confederation is set on five fundamental principles, according to the 1997 Constitution: national sovereignty, citizenship, human rights, the social values of labour and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The Confederal Government of Lylybium is a parliamentary system. Executive power is exercised by the Executive Council, led by the Prime Minister. Legislative power is vested in the two houses of the Legislature, the Parliament and Senate. The sole judicial body at the confederal level is the Supreme Tribunal, which does not serve as a court of last resort and handles only cases of a constitutional or inter-national nature.

Political Parties
Lylybium is a multi-party republic, with a range of political parties represented in Lylybian politics, dominated largely by two parties, the Social Progressive Party and the Democratic People's Party. These two parties generally garner around 20% of the vote each in elections. They are considered to be the upper tier of Lylybian parties. The rest of the parties usually have less support, but sometimes do as well as either of the two larger parties. Because these parties together have the support of more than a majority of voters, they play an integral role in government, making and breaking coalitions with the largest parties. These parties include the Namoran Independence Party, Scelta, Centro, Patrazi, the Green Party, the Conservative Party, the Communist Party, the Socialist Alliance, the Unionist Party, the Lylybium First Party, Jewish Home, the Maror National Party, and the Labor and Farmers Party.

After the May 6th, 2011 general elections, the Social Progressive Party, the Green Party, Scelta, and the Socialist Alliance united to form the governing coalition.

Population
At the latest census, in 2006, the Confederation had a total population of 32,866,040. Lylybium is highly urban, with over 90% of the population living in urban areas. The largest city is Budria (7.25 million), though the largest metropolitan area is the Tulcia-L'Urbe Metropolis (9.7 million).

In order, the largest cities are Budria (7.25 mil.), Tulcea (5.6 mil.), Tára (3.5 mil.), L'Urbe (3.1 mil.), Cessena-Sulina (together, 3 mil.), Farca-Rimini (together, 2.75 mil.), Egar (2.3 mil.), Tolna (2.27 mil.), Cento (1.8 mil.), and Albina (1.35 mil.)

Much of the Western portions of Lylybium are lightly populated, particularly in Namor and Maror. Lylybium's population core lies in the South-central region of the country.

Ethnicity
Lylybium is largely Arthorian (72.7%), with a significant Namoran (16.8%) minority. Other ethnic groups in Lylybium include Felijuanese (4.5%), Jews (3%), Aranians (1%), Oisens (1%), as well as Arabs, Chersonians, Rykalians, and Mozarabs, each representing less than 1%.

Religions
The largest religion in Lylybium is Christianity, with 39.82% identifying themselves as Christian. 38.91% of Lylybians identify as Irreligious, 17.92% as Celestial, 2.51% as Jewish, and less than 1% as some other religion.

Languages
The most spoken language throughout Lylybium is Arthorian, spoken as a first language by 83.9% of the population. The most important minority languages are Namoran, spoken by 15.9% of the population, and Hebrew, spoken by 1.3%. Other minority languages include Esperanto, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian. By nation, 100% of Arthorians and Caarni speak Arthorian as a first language; 98% of Trebians speak Arthorian, 11% speak Namoran; 80% of Marorans speak Arthorian, 16% Hebrew, and 4% Namoran. 69% of Namorans speak Namoran as a first language, 31% speak Arthorian.

Geography
Covering 169,158 sq.miles, Lylybium is slightly larger than the real life nation of Iraq, and would be the fifty-eighth largest nation on Earth, behind Morocco. It is comparable in size to the US state of California.

Lylybium's terrain is mostly lowland and hilly, with the Carpatok mountains dominating the terrains of Namor and Maror in the west. The Dunar river, which flows through Arthor, Trebium and Namor and meets with the Odesz at the sea, is particularly important to Lylybium's agriculture, that region being the breadbasket of the Confederation. The Cepeth and Mars rivers in Caarns, and the Olt river in Namor are other important, smaller rivers.

There are six distinct geographic regions in Lylybium. Along the eastern Blue Coast, low and flat plains stretch inland from Caarns to roughly L'Urbe, meeting with the plains of Il Cuore, together forming Lylybium's primary agricultural region. Il Cuore, or "the Heartland", itself is a large lowland plain known for being the breadbasket of Lylybium. North of these central plains lie the Caarni plains within Caarns, a hillier and more forested region than the coastal or Cuore plains. In northern and southern central Lylybium, large hilly regions define the landscape in contrast to either the plains to the east or the mountains and foothills in the west. The Carpatok mountains range through Namor, while the Piedmont, or foothills, lies in southern Namor and northwestern Trebium.

Climate
Advancing from the coastline in the south, Lylybium has a largely subtropical continental climate with long, hot and humid summers and mild, cool winters, rarely seeing snowfall. Further inland, the climate becomes more continental, defined by drier summers and more severe winters - though this region sees less average annual precipitation. Mountainous regions ring the nation's borderlands and as elevation increases, the climate becomes cooler and somewhat milder, becoming a cold alpine climate above the tree line. Precipitation throughout Lylybium is concentrated in the warmer months and typically falls below 30 inches annually.

Environment
There are almost 10,000 sq. miles of protected areas in Lylybium, including national parks, nature reserves, and national monuments. The largest and best-known of these is the Carpatok Mountains Reserve, some 7,600 sq. miles of terrain dedicated to wildlife preservation and limited tourism. Most of the Carpatok Mountains Reserve is untouched, but many of Lylybium's protected areas have undergone large-scale works projects to reduce environmental impact, construct public-works projects such as hydroelectric dams or canals, or to provide for tourism.

Culture
Lylybium did not exist as a unified state prior to 1880 and only later encompassed all of the modern country. As a result, Lylybian culture maintains distinct regional influences and today the five nations maintain clear political and social distinctions. Modern Lylybium is comprised of primarily Arthorians with large Namoran and Jewish minorities as well as a small immigrant population.

Arthorians particularly have a relaxed attitude (Namorans, on the other hand, tend to value hard work and personal accomplishment), and truly formal situations are rare. Conversely, almost all Lylybians take great pride in their manners and politeness is an integral part of Lylybian lifestyle, sometimes to the point that it is valued over truthfulness. As a result, Lylybians can be seen as being indirect.

Because of the cultural diversity of Lylybium, individualism and personal identity are highly valued, and one's background is not expected to define an individual. Rather, most Lylybians are expected to form their own image of themselves and the world. Conformity and ignorance are particularly looked down upon in Lylybian society. As a result, education and intellect are both valued in Lylybian society. To foreigners, Lylybians can sometimes be seen as overly intellectual and often argumentative (Lylybians are known for enjoying debates and arguments of all sorts), which, combined with their tendency to be indirect, can seem to be condescending.

Holidays
List of Confederal holidays:
 * January 1st | New Year's Day | Marks the beginning of the new year
 * April 6th | Election Day | During election years
 * April 20th | Confederation Day | Marks the anniversary of the Confederation
 * May 2nd | Arthor-Caarns Day | Marks the anniversary of the Unification of Arthor and Caarns
 * June 5th | Earth Day | Also known as Green Day; Celebration of the Earth
 * July 20th | Heritage Day | Celebration of diversity and heritage
 * August 21st | Renaissance Day | Marks the anniversary of the reestablishment of the Confederation
 * September 19th | Day of Peace | Marks the anniversary of the end of the Second Namoran War
 * December 31st | New Year's Eve | Marks the end of the year

Other holidays celebrated in Lylybium include religious holidays, such as the Christian Christmas and Easter or the Jewish Rosh Hashanah and Pesach, or may be national holidays, such as King's Day in Namor. Other secular holidays, such as May Day, are also popular.

Literature
Lylybium is particularly known for its literary tradition. Lylybian literature is renowned for addressing serious issues and also for satirical works. The use of modern realism in literature is considered to have originated in Caarns during the 18th century and defined Lylybian literature until the mid-20th century. Authors in Lylybium often publish in only one language, discouraging translations in order to preserve the original intent of a work. This plays well into Lylybian educational culture, as most students become fluent in at least two languages. The Pelouze Award is an internationally regarded prize awarded yearly to authors of outstanding works and is granted by the Alemmano Pelouze Foundation, based in Lylybium.

Sports
A number of sports are popular in Lylybium and most cities and towns have sports clubs that sponsor recreational athletics. Many larger cities are home to professional sports teams that participate in organized competitions. Lylybium's most popular sport is easily football, other popular team sports being Lacrosse and Ice Hockey. Folk wrestling is popular in Lylybium as well, the collar-and-elbow wrestling style originating there.

Lylybium's national football team, popularly known as the Stars, is beloved by the population, but has never participated in the World Cup. However, participation in other sports internationally, notably hockey, has earned Lylybium some recognition.

Economy
Lylybium's economy is highly developed and is frequently described as a 'socialist market economy'. The free-market is the arbitrator for most economic activity, with economic planning being relegated to macro-economic government indicative planning that does not encompass the microeconomic decision-making that is left to the individual and state-owned enterprises. This model includes a significant amount of privately-owned firms that operate as a business for profit, but only for consumer goods and services. The state operates most public utilities, including telephone and internet services, and either wholly operates or partially owns some of the largest corporations in Lylybium.

Since the Renaissance and the dissolution of the USRL, inequality has risen considerably, though wealth and income levels concentrate around the average. Poverty is almost nonexistent because of an extensive social welfare system and healthcare is provided by the state and is universally free.

Lylybium's currency is the Lira. Total GDP is $688.761 billion and per capita is $20,311.