Rakeo

Stratocratic Republic of Rakeo República Estratocrática de Rakeo
Flag Emblem of Rakeo Emblem
Motto: Venko Postulas Ofero "Victory Demands Sacrifice"
Anthem: March to Paragon ⠀
Location	Southern Sur
Capital and largest city	Olino
Official languages	Rakeoian
Recognised national languages	Creeperian
Ethnic groups	Rakeoian Creeperian
Religion (1982)	75% Catholic 15% Protestant 10% Undetermined
Demonym(s)	Rakeoian
Government	Centralized stratocratic oligarchy
Establishment
• Pre-Unification	233
• Second Republic established	1918
• Rakeoian Civil War	April 4, 1950
• Stratocratic republic declared	June 18, 1955
Area
•	136,372 km2 (52,654 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 estimate	30,000,000
• 1944 census	28,000,000
GDP (nominal)	1995 estimate
• Total	ℝ34.1 trillion ₵300 Billion
• Per capita	ℝ1,136,666 ₵10058 (13)
Gini (1995)	51.6 high
HDI (2010)	0.5 low
Currency	Ralgi (RAL)
Time zone	AMT–5, –4 (Rakeoian time)
Driving side	right

Rakeo, officially the Stratocratic Republic of Rakeo (Rakeoian: República Estratocrática de Rakeo), is a repressive nation ruled by a military oligarchy, and is the second poorest in Sur. It shares a naval border with Creeperopolis and Sequoyah. 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 Empire of Rakeo was established in 656 as an extension of existing agreements between neighboring kingdoms, allowing for the peaceful settling of disputes. While challenges emerged over the centuries, the empire remained intact until an outbreak of crop disease spread across the island sometime in the 12th century, resulting in a fragmentation that would persist until the 17th century.

In 1838, the invasion of Rakeo by Creeperopolis dismantled the existing governments 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 established the nation's autonomy. In 1950, the Rakeoian Civil War broke out following a failed coup attempt and mutiny. After five years of intermittent fighting, a Stratocratic Republic composed of army officials was solidified as the island's government. The new government was notably hostile to Creeperopolis until a confrontation over control of the Asequi Strait and Susla led to the Surian Fishing War ending with Rakeoian territorial and political concessions.

The Rakeoian economy used to be based on agricultural and textile exports, but under the isolationist policies of the government during 1955 to 1980, exports fell and the economy contracted to its modern value of ℝ34.1 trillion. The Ralgi, the official currency of Rakeo, 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 ₡300 billion credits. The country continues to struggle with poor foreign relations, a drug epidemic, a weak economy, and nationwide poverty.

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

1838–1918

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 ethnic violence.

In 1888, a referendum resulted in the country becoming a department of Creeperopolis.

1918–1955

Main articles: Second Republic of Rakeo and Rakeoian Civil War

The Rakeoian Republic 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 weakness of the parliamentary government and the increased power of the military led to the Rakeoian Civil War. Rakeo split into two political entities, the Republican forces supporting the continuation of Prime Minister Alfonso Moreno Salinas's constitutional government, and Stratocratic forces seeking to establish a 'state of exception' to be run by a provisional military dictatorship.

The government of the Rakeoian Republic suffered a number of military defeats in 1955 that forced its leadership to go abroad and into exile. While this did not legally end the civil war, it effectively ceded control of the nation to the newly established Stratocratic Authority.

1955–2000

The end of the civil war saw the numerous factions that had previously united to overthrow the Republican government begin to fracture. Inter-service rivalries formed as families with pre-existing disputes used their wartime statuses to secure positions for their relatives, reducing the effectiveness of the already damaged Rakeoian military further. The extremist isolationism promoted by dictator Carlos García Mava and his successor, Ricardo Cornelio, halted trade between Rakeo and its neighbors, damaging relations and trade. The economic and diplomatic policies caused conflict over fishing rights between Rakeo and Sequoyah in the then-disputed Asequi straits, where Rakeo's substandard performance in the Surian Fishing War resulted in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers and sailors, and an unintended dispute with Creeperopolis over the island of Susla.

2000–Present

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. The Stratocratic Authority signaled its continued support for the new government of Creeperopolis through its entry into the International Patriotic League.

Rakeo’s restrictions on modern telecommunications have made it lag the world in technology, making most of the nation's 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. City-wide curfews enforced with water trucks and mass arrests by state security forces quickly dismantled the group.

In 2011, the economy was officially decentralized, but international NGOs remain skeptical about the freedom of the market in Rakeo. Foreign capital is heavily regulated and outright prohibited from taking shares in specific industries, and many private companies that receieved formerly state-owned assets are run by the relatives of high ranking government and military officials.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Rakeo

Demographics

Education

The architecture of mass education in Rakeo was built under the Second Republic, where schools were nationalized and a new curriculum was designed to teach students basic skills over the course of a eight year mandatory education. This was expanded in 1958 to include ‘Enhanced guidance in accordance with the New National spirit’, a four year secondary school education focused on better equipping students with skills for working in farms, factories, or as soldiers.

Government and politics

Political system

Rakeo is governed by a semi-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 following the ousting of the last dictator of Rakeo- individuals trying to publicly assert government power were often targeted for assisanation by the DAI. Since the Stratocratic authority is the only legal party in Rakeo, being a member is a prerequisite to entering the political class, but many ordinary citizens join it, whether for displaying genuine patriotism or to avoid governmental scrutiny.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Rakeo

Rakeo's government engages in arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention, deportations, forced disappearances, and political assassinations of critics and dissidents. Numerous non-government groups within Rakeo exert extrajudicial powers with little to no interference from law enforcement. In addition to not observing the authority of the TCN, Rakeo has no outstanding human rights agreements with any foreign government, does not guarantee safety to travelers or diplomats, and does not observe international law surrounding Freedoms of the Air. This is reflected in the travel advisories of many nations. Rights of ethnics minorities, the Rakeoian LGBT community, and religious minorities are restricted through the actions of both governmental and non-governmental bodies.

Economy

Agriculture

Most of Rakeo's food is produced domestically, with corn, wheat, and soybeans being staple crops. Fruits, particularly citruses, are imported from abroad, where climates are more favorable to their growth. Industrial farming of cattle is restricted by law to specific regions of the country as an environmental measure. Despite this, contaminants from agriculture still threaten several water supplies. Lumber is the main natural export of Rakeo with industrial fibers like hemp (while diminished compared earlier years) being a large component of the remainder. The use of forced labor throughout the agriculture and lumber sector has led to objections from human rights organizations.

Mining

Rakeo's ancient geologic past led to a number of deposits of minerals, some composed of multiple bands surrounding former volcanic arc formations, others are lens-shaped columns of metal sulfides that have bubbled through rock- Both of these have been economically exploited. Originally native copper was the primary mined resource for communities during the pre-unification age. Galena, an ore containing lead and silver, became economically important in the 1820s, but as deposits were depleted over the next twenty years it became clear that it was no longer the future of mining.

In the second half of the 19th century a boom in iron mining created entire towns dedicated to workers and their families. For decades, iron ore was taken from mines across southern Rakeo, sometimes so rich in quality that it could be directly smelted. But the supply was not infinite. By the 40s, production peaked, and soon the mining industry faced an existential threat. When these iron mines that fueled the first industrialization of Rakeo began to decline in productivity, taconite, long considered a waste rock was reexamined. But because of its low iron content and the difficulty in processing it, nobody would make a serious attempt to process it until the 1970s.

Manufacturing

In the 1960s, a new focus was placed on manufacturing capacity by the Stratocratic Government. The first fully domestic car factory opened in 1965, and soon afterwards, multiple manufacturers had been established for arms production. Car manufacturing collapsed when isolationist policies that had protectionist impacts were lifted in the late 1970s, but the sector quickly diversified to survive. Three private companies continue to produce aircraft in the country.

Energy

Main article: Energy in Rakeo

Rakeo consumes 51 TWh a year. Of that, over two-thirds comes from coal imports, twenty percent comes from natural gas, and the rest comes from a mixture of hydroelectric and biogas generation. In the 1970-1980s, a program of construction created dozens of coal power plants which drove the price of electricity down. Historically, hydropower was used to drive mills and sawmills before the electrification of Rakeo.

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.

Media

Rakeo has had no domestic independent journalism since either 1955 or 1960. In the decades since, multiple state news outlets have been established, including the Rakeo National Radio Program, Rakeo National Television Service, and National Daily. Internationally, the Stratocratic Authority is alleged to own various front organizations such as Human Rights Terraconserva to promote their positions, often through disinformation. As of 2018, Rakeo was described as “the least friendly country in the world for foreign journalism”. After reforms in 2020, foreign journalism is allowed in limited capacity. The country’s legislation on foreign journalists include restrictions on who is allowed to be interviewed, and large areas are marked as non-recording zones.

Conspiracies around Rakeo

Main article: Disinformation about Rakeo

Because of the restrictions on information in Rakeo, many foreign media outlets have made dubious claims about the nation without correction. Some more popular claims include;

• The nation is secretly controlled by Creeperopolis, Communists, or The Anti Christ.
• Fake owls (found in many parts the country used to scare off flocking birds from public spaces) are host to cameras, microphones, or both.
• That the village of Bolos is actually the personal property of drug kingpin Ismael Zambada García.
• That the country’s leader is secretly the child grandson of Richard Cornell.
• That the country serves as a proving ground for new weapons systems, either for the Stratocratic government testing on its own civilians, or for other nations.
• Rakeo controlled Sequoyah as a buffer state until the COMISEQ intervention overthrew the nation.
• Rakeo is secretly a democracy, and projects the image of a dictatorship to avoid Creeperianization.

See also

Rakeo portal Terraconserva portal

• Outline of Rakeo
• Stratocratic Authority
• Sur