Rakeo

Stratocratic Republic of Rakeo Stratokrata Respubliko de Rakeo
Flag Emblem of Rakeo Emblem
Motto: Venko Postulas Ofero "Victory Demands Sacrifice"
Anthem: March to Paragon ⠀
Location	South of Creeperopolis, east of Sequoyah
Capital and	Olino
Official languages	Rakeoian
Recognised national languages	Rakeoian Creeperian Spanish
Ethnic groups	Rakeoian Creeperian
Religion (1982)	No Official Religion (Catholicism partially permitted)
Demonym(s)	Rakeoian
Government	Centralized Stratocratic Oligarchy
• Eternal General Secretary	Richard Cornell
Establishment
• Pre-Unification	233
• Second Republic established	1918
• Rakeoian Civil War	April 4, 1950
• Stratocratic Rakeoian Republic Declared	June 18th, 1955
Area
•	136,372 km2 (52,654 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 estimate	30 million
• 1944 census	28 million
GDP (nominal)	1995 estimate
• Total	ℝ34.1 trillion ₵300 Billion
• Per capita	ℝ1,136,666 ₵10058 (13)
Gini (1995)	20.4 low
HDI (2010)	0.5 low
Currency	Ralgi (RAL)
Driving side	right

Rakeo, officially the Stratocratic Republic of Rakeo (Rakeoian: Stratokrata Respubliko de Rakeo; Creeperian Spanish: República Estratocrática de Rakeo), is a deeply repressive nation ruled by a military oligarchy, and is the second poorest in Sur. It shares a naval border with two nations, Creeperopolis to the north, and Sequoyah to the west. The capital and largest city of the country is Olino, where as much as a tenth of the population lives. As of 2020, an estimated 30 million people live in the island nation.

The First Kingdom of Rakeo was established in 656 as an extension of a system of government originally designed to protect farming settlements across the island, upending the status quo of city-states dominating the countryside. While challenges emerged over the centuries, the kingdom remained intact until a plague on crops spread across the island. Forests reclaimed unmaintained fields, and famines took their toll as well. This dark age lasted for the next centuries. At the beginning of the 16th century, the great city-state of the west, Olino, sought protection against the "destiny of conquest" put forth by their western neighbor. In doing so, Moreno I would unite Olino with Paragon and Jinosia in a military alliance that became the rebirth of a united Rakeoian monarchy. Eventually, Henriko Dodge, a rising star in statecraft, challenged the monarch and created the First Rakeoian Republic. In 1838, the Invasion of Rakeo by Creeperopolis dismantled the First Republic and established the Captaincy General of Rakeo. Following the First independence referendum, a colonial republic was allowed to administer the island, and with the Second independence referendum, the Second Republic of Rakeo fully restored the nation's autonomy. In 1950, the Rakeoian Civil War broke out following a widespread mutiny in Olino, and the murder of multiple agents of the Republican government. After five years of bloody fighting, the Stratocratic Republic of Rakeo was solidified as the island's government.

The Rakeoian economy used to be heavily based on agricultural and textile exports, but under the isolationist policies of the government during 1955-1980, exports fell and the economy contracted to its modern value of ℝ34.1 trillion. (The Rakeoian Ralgi has hyperinflated to over 113 times as much as the Quebecshirite Credit, the base currency of Terraconserva. As such, the figure of ℝ34.1 trillion is equivalent to ₡0.3 trillion Credits.) The country continues to struggle with historically poor foreign relations, a drug epidemic, a weak economy, and country-wide poverty. The official currency of Rakeo is the Rakeoian Ralgi and it has been since the end of the Second Republic. Rakeo has been commonly called "a dictatorship in everything but name".

Etymology

Rakeo was simplified from the root word Rakreo in Malnova (literally translated as "old tongue"). This was a combination of the words Ra, Kre, and -o. Ra translates as island, or the concept of being surrounded, kre is a corruption of cruz, and the suffix -o means grouping, or can mean a member of a group.

The meaning of Kre has been in dispute- According to some scholars, it was meant to signify Christian beliefs. Others believe that it was meant as a metaphor for faith more generally. A last camp believes it was an astronomical name, referring the Cruz constellation.

Thus, Rakeo can mean

• The Faithful Island
• The Christian island
• The Island of the Cross

History

Main article: Timeline of Rakeoian History

Creeperian colonialism

Main article: Captaincy General of Rakeo

The 1838 invasion by Creeperian forces left Rakeo without self rule for the next five decades, but brought new levels of industry and commerce to the island. It marked a significant change in the island's demographics as well, as more of the population moved to coastal cities, depopulating the inland. The rapid change in society led to strong anticolonial and anti-Creeperian backlash, exemplified in the rise of terror groups like the Rakeoian Sovereignty Front. Organized resistance never reached low level insurgency status as seen in other Creeperian territories, but smaller attacks, such as the 1 May theatre bombing in 1867 which assassinated Jorge Montt Álvarez, first Captain General of Rakeo, led to brief periods of intense violence.

Second republic and civil war

Main articles: Second Republic of Rakeo and Rakeoian Civil War

Contemporarily known as the Rakeoian Republic, the Second Republic of Rakeo was the ruling government of the island from 1918 to 1955. Faced with rampant drug abuse, economic stagnation, and distrust in the military, it began to decline throughout 1935-1950. In 1950, the Rakeoian Civil War began as soldiers began a third munity in the city of Olino. This led to the 1955 collapse of Republican government.

Contemporary history

Starting in the early 2000s, the Rakeoian economy began a downturn. Rakeoian agricultural exports were heavily disrupted when the main trading partner of Rakeo, Creeperopolis, underwent a regime change in 2003-2004. Rakeo signalled its continued support for the new government of Creeperopolis by having the Stratocratic Authority sign into its first international organization- The International Patriotic League. Adding to the downturn were Rakeo’s restrictions on modern telecommunications, which have made it lag the world in technology, making a number of industries noncompetitive against their international rivals. In 2005, a series of anti-government protests largely composed of students calling themselves La Junularo took to the streets to demand democracy, transparency, and jobs. They were met by a harsh crackdown. City-wide curfews were enforced with water trucks and mass arrests by state security forces quickly dismantled the group. In 2011, the economy was officially decentralized, but many remain skeptical considering the number of government positions occupied by businesspersons. What remains undisputed is that no ten year plan was declared, and many quotas for war materials were discontinued, allowing independent industry to have significantly more access to resources.

Government and politics

Political system

Rakeo is governed by a formalized oligarchy of businesspeople, military officers, and descendants of politically powerful families from prior governments. Members of the oligarchy seldom make public appearances, and when they do, it is often in concert with all other members. This practice began in 1975 during the Silent Times- When individuals trying to publicly assert government power were often targeted for assisanation by the DAI, and remains an ingrained tradition. Being a member of the Stratocratic Authority, the sole legal party in Rakeo is a prerequisite to entering the political class, but many ordinary citizens join it, whether for displaying genuine patriotism or trying to avoid governmental scrutiny.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Rakeo

Rakeo has historically engaged in arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention, deportations, forced disappearances, and political assassinations. Numerous groups within Rakeo exert extrajudicial powers over citizenry which are either ignored or condoned by the government. In addition to not observing the authority of the TCN, Rakeo has no outstanding human rights agreements with any foreign government, and does not guarantee safety to travelers or diplomatic immunity. This is reflected in the travel advisories of many nations.

Culture

Cuisine

Rakeo has a number of traditional dishes (considered as ones dating back to the 18th century and prior) which remain popular at restaurants in the inland. Many recipes brought by migrant communities dominate cuisine both in the home and in city markets. The government provides a staple of bulk grains for each household- Wheat, corn, and more recently soybeans. Everyday citizens are encouraged to produce food from home gardens, and often grow potatoes, rutabaga, and other root vegetables. In addition, they can have chickens for eggs, or rabbits raised for butchering. These supplementary ingredients are eaten on their own, or with the grain staple. Many homes use government-made steel plates and utensils included in lieu of silverware. Most, aside from restaurant owners, do not own refrigerators- Root cellars are a more common method of preserving food.

Those with self-imposed dietary restrictions (observant Christians, less commonly observant Muslims) often have to trade foods with others. A barter/trading subculture is a common occurrence in work crews and smaller communities, and a formalized system exists in cities, particularly Jinosiá, where a significant portion of the population will not eat pork.