Institute for Central Smalik Affairs • Rik Hə ti ƿɛPəə kə Em Hək Slt • Dillouh Sis-Smaliha Cowdee

NTAAH ǷƐRMMP BUT
Free States of Tak


Official name: nTaah ƿɛRmmp But (Tak); 'the Free States of Tak'
Demonym: Tak, Taki
Adjective: Tak, Taki, Takish
Regime: federative ecclesiocracy
Establishment: 24 December 308 (unilateral secession from Bowdani, recognised by Bowdani on 15 October 316) National anthem: Mpə Tak ɣit, slt n gɛk it m ('I love Tak, my country and my home'), composed in 105 BP by Yp ob Vuup (139 - 66 BP)
National holidays: Mp kə Qam, 'Day of Fire' (last Monday of October); National Holiday (24 December)

Population: 90,259,858 (1-1-324 est.)
- Growth: 2.93% (323)
- Density: t.b.a.
- Life expectancy: 72.9 years (men), 78.4 years (women)

Capital: Mɵg
Largest city: Lp

Ethnic groups: Tak, Ingallish, Flovaignian, Coare, Kencari, Lombriguayan, and others
Official language: Tak
Other languages: Ingallish, Flovaignian, Coare, Kencari, and others
Literacy: 99%
Religions: Tak Earth Religion (89%), Orthodox Church of Bowdani (7%), other (4%)
Universities: Grg (ŋGrrɣa mBuus Af Hə; founded 286 BP), Mɵg (nəMɵɵɣa Af Hə; 249 BP), and Lp (nLlf Af Hə, 116 AP)

Legislature: parliament (61 members)

Head of State: ƿnTeer Vɵl Syt, 'Council of Chief Druids'
Head of Government: Zɵ Pŋ ('Prime Minister') Or ob Gys (since 323)
Minister of foreign affairs: Qe ob Ƕəg (since 320)

Membership international organisations:
- United Nations of Vexillium, STOIC

Area: t.b.a.
Highest point: Qo
Longest river: Grb
Climate: mediterranean
Time Zone: CMT -3

GDP (nominal): 3,002.52 (est. 323)
GDP (nominal) per capita: 33,265 (est. 323)
Currency: Sab
Inflation: 2.8% (323)
Unemployment: 3.6% (1-1-324 est.)
Working population:
- agriculture: 22.0%
- industry: 26.5%
- services: 51.5%
Export: machinery and equipment, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, animal products, agricultural products, computers
Import: machinery and equipment, chemical, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Main trade partners: STOIC, other Smalik nations

Drives on the: right

Calling code: +352
Main local numbers: Lp 010, Mɵg 020, Grg 022, Hoop 057, ƿəək 070, Ag 090, Tel 044, Mu 015, Bɵɵk 032, Taŋ 050, ...
Internet TLD: .ta, .tak
Main newspapers: ƿEri Pə ak Tak (News from Tak)

Tak, officially the Free States of Tak (Tak: nTaah ƿɛRmmp But), is a peculiar nation that seems very peaceful to the naked eye: a rather green country, with large forests and vast grasslands, picturesque villages, the occasional swamp, which are interrupted only by cities and modern infrastructure that somehow seem out of place.

The reality is that an intense struggle has been going on since the Industrial Revolution between traditional forces centred around the country's still prominent earth religion, on which the largest part of the government system is based and through which all forms of modernisation are carefully monitored and often discouraged, and movements that would like Tak to adopt a more liberal modernist policy in order to allow easier (economic) expansion.

Although Tak is not as poor or backwards as the above may suggest, change occurs only slowly due to a heavy bureaucratic system and the fact that some important decisions involve the approval of the ƿɛVɵla ('Nature Priests' or 'Druids', for lack of a better term) who are widely respected by almost every Tak citizen, but the fact that they are often living in solitude and tend to wander around a lot makes it rather difficult to contact them and before they have reached a decision about a certain subject, a long time may have passed.

Originally part of the Republic of Bowdani, Tak unilaterally declared independence in 308 AP in order to prevent itself from being taken down with the rest of the country's economic decline. Receiving international recognition took some time however and it took several years to complete the process. Bowdani recognised Tak's independence in October 316.


Geography and climate
To be elaborated.


History
To be elaborated.


Demographics

Administrative division
21 ƿɛBuut (sg. But, lit. 'State'), which are the administrative equivalents of the historical ƿɛSllt (sg. Slt, lit. 'Lands'). The ƿɛBuut are subdivided into communities/municipalities.

Language and religion


Politics
The Free States of Tak have a semi-democratic system. While the legislative is entirely elected by the people, the executive is not. Tak is a federative nation, which means that the States have a lot to say about their own internal policies, and within the states, the communities/municipalities.

The Druids
The Druids (ƿɛVɵla) form some kind of secluded society within the Tak society. Both men and women can be Druids. The word 'Druid' is chosen because the Tak office of Druid is quite, although not entirely, similar to the Celtic Druids. The ordinary Druids wander around the area for which they bare responsibility and take care of the balance of nature, wild life (hunting by ordinary citizens of Tak is strictly forbidden; the Druids only hunt if the population of one species grows too large and transferring some of them to other areas is not an option) and especially in smaller villages they also serve as doctors, although 'ordinary' doctors exist as well in Tak.

The Druids have a final word in the appointment of executive officials of communities/municipalities; the Druids of one State form together the State's Council of Druids, which appoints the State's First Minister (who then composes the State Government). The State Parliament has to approve of the Druids' choice, but has no say in the choice itself. The State Parliament is allowed to sack the State Government if it doesn't agree anymore with the latter's policies, but this always results in the resolution of the State Parliament itself as well and subsequent parliamentary elections.

On the national level the system is quite similar. The States' Councils of Druids each appoint a Chief Druid; together they form the Council of Chief Druids. This Council in its entirety functions as the Head of State of Tak, which means that formally there is not one person who can be considered the Head of State (although in specific cases the Council usually appoints a spokesperson who represents the Council and ex officio the Free States of Tak, although it is generally the Prime Minister who e.g. receives foreign officials). After each parliamentary elecion, the Council of Chief Druids appoints the Prime Minister who then composes the new government, which has to be approved by the national parliament.

Since the Druids generally avoid cities and other areas with a large amount of people, they don't often have a connection with the nation's politics. Critics of the system claim that this is a disadvantage and want the Druids to be excluded from the government formation. Those in favour of the system say that the Druids are wise not to care about the political system, as politics are not the only aspect of the nation that matters and by maintaining some distance, they know better what is needed for the country than many politicians. The Druids' choices for Prime Ministers and First State Ministers can therefore be surprising at times, and although they are often cause for intense speculation in politics and the media, the Druids seldomly explain their choices nor is it custom for other citizens of Tak to ask for explanations.

Parliament
On the national level, a 61-member parliament is elected every five years, although in practise elections take place more frequently. The system used is a variant of proportional representation, with the additional rules that on the national level only parties that are supported in at least 34% of the States' parliaments can compete and no party may get more than 50% of the seats (30), in order to make sure that minority ideologies aren't outnumbered and that one party doesn't get the chance to pass legislation that enables itself to change the system to its own advantage. Of course, on the rare occasion that all people vote for only one party, this rule cannot be applied, but in that case, a parliament gets a mandate for only 1.5 years and the Council of Chief Druids will have the right to veto any proposal that would change the government system of Tak if they aren't convinced that it will be beneficial for the country and its people.

Political parties
- nɛKɛl Ltens (KL, (currently 19 seats), Party of the Present; pro modern times, industry, workers)
- noŋOŋ Ltens (OL (10), Nature Party; green, conservative, religious)
- naVaater Ltens (VL (8), Unity Party; conservative, populist, favours unity government system)
- ƿnuBus Ltens (BL (7), States' Party; conservative-liberal pro status quo)
- nəRtəp Ltens (RL (6), Society/Community party; social-religious)
- ŋHəəh Slt Ltens (HSL (6), Smalik Party; pro-international cooperation)
- Root Hə (RH (5), Method Union; anti-corporation, anti-privatisation)


The seat division in the parliament of Tak since 260.


Government
The national government consists of the prime minister (Zɵ Pŋ) and the ministers. The prime minister is appointed by the Druids and subsequentely appoints the ministers of his/her cabinet. Each appointment has to be approved by parliament.

List of Prime Ministers of Tak

Period (AP) Name Remarks Period (AP) Name Remarks Period (AP) Name Remarks
73 - 78 Sat ob Ƕrt (1st time) provisional 159 - 160 Tom ob Ƿɵŋ s 279 - 286 Fəs ob Ƕif three terms
78 - 81 Ƿis ob Fɛl s 160 - 165 Sat ob El s 286 - 290 Fəs ob Vuup s
81 - 82 Fəs ob Al (1st time) s 165 - 169 Ral ob Veek s 290 - 295 Tom ob Iit s
82 - 82 Ook ob Keg (f) s 169 - 172 Nom ob Syk (f) murdered 295 - 296 Dot ob Kom (f) s
82 - 87 Sat ob Ƕrt (2nd time) s 172 - 178 Yp ob Suup two terms 296 - 303 Fəs ob Brf (1st time) two terms
87 - 90 Fəs ob Al (2nd time) s 178 - 188 Zoot ob Ƕɛɛp (f) two terms 303 - 307 Ƿis ob Qaat s
90 - 102 Sat ob Ƕrt (3rd time) three terms 188 - 198 Sat ob Fook two terms 307 - 308 Sat ob Til s
102 - 107 Fəs ob Al (3rd time) s 198 - 205 Ig ob Lep (f) two terms 308 - 311 Fəs ob Brf (2nd time) first PM of independent Tak
107 - 112 Ig ob Duuk (f) s 205 - 212 Mar ob Suup (f) two terms 311 - 320 Mar ob Qaat (f) two terms
112 - 116 Tom ob Fook s 212 - 219 Fəs ob Til three terms 320 - 323 Fəs ob Sin dies in car crash
116 - 125 Fəs ob Qyp two terms 219 - 237 Diŋ ob Gys (f) five terms 323 - 326 Ƕɵɵk ob A acting
125 - 129 Ƿis ob Iit s 237 - 242 Paat ob Ƿin s 323 - 326 Or ob Gys s
129 - 137 Sat ob Laar two terms 242 - 247 Ook ob Det (f) (1st time) s
137 - 140 Bos ob Qyp s 247 - 253 Qur ob Qyp two terms
140 - 141 Fəs ob Jak s 253 - 260 Ook ob Det (f) (2nd time) three terms
141 - 146 Mar ob Ƕat (f) two terms 260 - 270 Ƿis ob Jak (1st time) two terms
146 - 149 Dot ob Gys (f) s 270 - 274 Gɵɵk ob Lep s
149 - 159 Mar ob Gys (f) two terms 274 - 279 Ƿis ob Jak (2nd time) s

Tak's most recent government members

  311 - 316 316 - 320 320 - 323
Prime minister Mar ob Qaat (f) Mar ob Qaat (f) Fəs ob Sin (m, 320-323)
Ƕɵɵk ob A (m, 323)
Domestic affairs Bos ob Səək (m) Bos ob Səək (m, 316-317)
Ƕɵɵk ob A (m, 317-)
Ƕɵɵk ob A (m)
Foreign affairs Sat ob Iit (m, 311-314)
Ƕɵɵk ob A (m, 314-316)
Zoot ob Laar (f) Qe ob Ƕəg (m)
Defense Fəs ob Sin (m) Fəs ob Sin (m) Paat ob Kom (m)
Finance Sat ob Ƿin (m) nIisi Ook (f) > Ook ob Iit (8/316) Ook ob Iit (f)
Economic affairs Ɵɵt ob Səək (f) ŋQaasu Or (m) ŋQaasu Or (m)
Justice Zoot ob Ƕat (f, 311-312)
Sat ob Keg (m, 312-316)
Ɣaap ob Səək (m) Goot ob Dah (f)
Social affairs Paat ob Jak (m) Paat ob Jak (m) nSyyh Ber (m)
Employment Dyŋ ob Brf (f) nSəəha Pm (m) nSəəha Pm (m)
Education Gɵɵk ob Det (m) Ook ob Mɛɛk (f) nEer Aat (m)
Sciences Nom ob Veek (f) Put ob Kom (m) Or ob Ɵɵt (m)
Agriculture Zot ob Til (m) nAa Ed (m) ŋKooŋg Bos (m)
Natural resources Rob ob Det (m) Or ob Gys (m) Or ob Gys (m)
Regional planning Ook ob Dah (f) Hol ob Laar (m) In ob Ƕrt (f)
Traffic & Transportation Or ob Gys (m) Nom ob Lep (f) nDuuɣu As (m)
Communication & Media Or ob Hut (m) Dyŋ ob Syk (f) nLaar Faak (m)
Housing Hol ob Laar (m) nDuuɣu As (m) Ɵɵt ob Ɵɵt (f)
Public health Im ob Qyp (f) Im ob Qyp (f) Im ob Qyp (f)
Culture & Sports Ham ob Er (m, 311-315)
Nom ob Veek (f, 315-315 acting)
Ook ob Mɛɛk (f, 315)
Rəəp ob Dah (m) Rəəp ob Dah (m)
Religious affairs Ed ob Beŋ (m) Ed ob Beŋ (m) Ed ob Beŋ (m)

Defence

Foreign relations


Economy
Tak's economy has been relatively stable for the past 50 years or so, even when it was still an autonomous part of Bowdani, and this counts as the main reason that the Tak decided to declare themselves independent in 308. Due to its subsequent controversial diplomatic status however, it turned out to be difficult to establish official economic relationships with other countries, although relationships with private companies were possible.

Currency
The Sab is the official currency of Tak. It is divided in Sabs (Ϣ), Qots (q) and Kiŋs (Kings, k), with 12 Qots going in 1 Sab and 16 Kiŋs going in 1 Qot (so 192 Kiŋs in 1 Sab). There are coins of 1, 3, 4, and 8 Kiŋs, 1 Qot, half a Ty (= 2 Qots), Ty (= 4 Qots), and banknotes of 1 Sab, a quarter Rŋŋk (= 2 Sabs), and a Rŋŋk (= 8 Sabs).


Communication

Infrastructure and transport
The development of infrastructure in Tak is generally slow because of all kinds of restrictive regulations in order to protect the environment that have been in place already since Tak was still an autonomous part of Bowdani, although the latter overruled local legislation every once in a while whenever it found it necessary, mostly in the eastern part of the country in order to gain better access to Port Frontier (present day Lp). The advantage of slow development is that the structures that are approved and developed are designed to be as useful as possible, so relatively few roads, railroads etc in Tak are considered to have been a waste of money.

Roads
Tak's highway system (Tak: af rem = 'big street', indicated with B numbers, B standing for But = 'State') focuses mainly on the eastern part of the country, where under Bowdani rule the important connection between the Bowdani capital Sky City and Port Frontier (present day Lp) was constructed in the '60s of the 3rd century. Although only the section between Grg and Lp is part of this original route, the highway between Ag and Grg was given the same number (B1) after Tak independence. There are three other highways in Tak: B2 from the B1 near Bɵɵk to the city of Ƿəək in the western part of Tak, B3 that will eventually connect the capital Mɵg with the B2 near ƿnRooŋg Daak but has been constructed only half so far, and B4 from Lp to Lombrigay via Taŋ and ƿɛVii Vn.

The B4 makes a rather sharp turn near ƿɛVii Vn and a possibility would be to split this highway in two pars with the Lp-ƿɛVii Vn part becoming part of a larger international road between Portescuro (Caboteniasa) and Shepard Bay (Bowdani), and the Lombrigay-ƿɛVii Vn part being extended to the B1 near Hoop.

In August 316 a plan was launched by a Tak government minister for a Central-Smalik Highway between Caboteniasa and Bowdani or even Davenport, through the western part of Tak. In Tak, this highway would connect Sef in the north and Ag in the south via Ƿəək in the mid-west.

Railroads
When the first railroads were built in Tak under Bowdani rule in the 50s of the 2nd century, the noisy and smokey steam engines were regarded with distrust by the indigenous Tak and apart from a few railway connections in the eastern part of the country, the possibilities of railroads in Tak weren't explored for many decades. After the first electric trains made their appearance however, this view changed and in the 60s of the 3rd century the railroad network was expanded significantly throughout the country. According to some, the modern trains are far better for the environment than cars or aircraft and the latest government plans include the construction of a high speed network that should connect the country's six larger cities.

In 308 AP, after the Tak government unilaterally declared independence, the railroads in Tak that were previously owned by two Bowdani private companies were nationalised by the Tak government. The Hə ti ƿɛMoot Nab it Tak (HMNT, Association for the Iron Tracks of Tak) is the government organisation that is currently responsible for the Tak railway network.

Airports
There are two international airports in Tak: nəMɵɵɣa Har Nəəp tog ƿɛSllt kə Sat ob Ƕrt (the International Airport "Sat ob Ƕrt" near Mɵg) and nLlf Har Nəəp tog ƿɛSllt (the International Airport near Lp). There is a national airline company, ƿɛHaru Nab it Tak (HNT, Tak Airlines), which only serves airports in Tak at the moment, due to the limited international recognition of Tak by other nations. The best known private airline company with Tak origins but registered in another country is ƿɛKuub Vɵl (The Flying Druids), which operates a scheduled service between Mɵg and (mainly) cities in Longerath.


Society, culture, and sports

Art and music

Education

Health and social issues

Judical system

Media

Names
In Tak, family names aren't determined by biological family only, but also by its importance. Men or women who marry into a family are allowed to adopt the family name of this family, but can loose it if they do something that can blemish the family name; in this case individual acts of parents don't have consequences for their children.

Ordinary family names are usually put before the given name and appear in the partitive case (see language). This is by far the most common appearance of family names. If a person achieves however something great, his or her family council may convene and bestow upon him or her the right to add the almost titular preposition ob, followed by the family name in the oblique case, behind the given name, but only if this will be likely to make sense to the general public as well.

Example:
common name: nǷiin Gɵɵk
'enhanced' name: Gɵɵk ob Ƿin

Time