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The Republic of Paranor Island is a small island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, north-west of the British Isles. It is the second largest island in Europe and has the 14th highest population. The country is highly developed both socially and economically, with a very high standard of living. It is highly globalised, with a large amount of foreign investment.

It was once one of the world’s oldest monarchies, however this came to an end in 2008 with King Donaill II of the House of Leah declaring the establishment of a democracy. It is now a presidential republic with President Stewart Johnson as head of state, and is a Full Member state of the SimCity Journal Union.

History of Paranor Island

**Facts and Figures**
Flag	Coat of arms
	Motto: '"Freedom, Prosperity, Happiness"'
	Anthem: [1]
Capital	Leah
Largest city	Leah
Official language(s)	English / Gaeilge
Government President; Vice President	Presidential Republic; Stewart Johnson; Donald Clark
Republic; Kingdom Formed; Republic Formed	; 1192; 2008
Area; • Total; • Water (%)	; 96,462 km² (170th); 1.43
Population; • 2008 est.; • 2006 census; • Density	; 12,132,684 (); 12,111,592; 125/km² ()
GDP (PPP); • Total; • Per capita	2009 estimate; $546billion (18th); $39,500 (7th)
HDI (2003\|2008)	0.805 (64th – High)
Currency	Paranor Island Pound (PIP)
Time zone; • Summer (DST)	WET (UTC+0); WEST (UTC+1)
Internet TLD	.pi
Calling code	+425

Main article: History of Paranor Island

A long cold climatic spell prevailed until the end of the last glacial period about 9,000 years ago, and most of Paranor was covered with ice. Sea-levels were lower then, and Paranor, as with its neighbours Britain and Ireland, rather than being islands, were part of a greater continental Europe. Mesolithic stone age inhabitants arrived some time after 8000 BC. Agriculture arrived with the Neolithic circa 4500 to 4000 BC, when sheep, goats, cattle and cereals were imported from southwest continental Europe.

The Kingdom of Paranor Island (1192-2008)

For thousands of years Paranor's inhabitants were tribal in nature and often warred with each other. The Island was first unified in 1192 under King Illian the Great and it has been a monarchy since then.

The Kingdom of Paranor Island had a small colonial empire between the 17th and 20th centuries. While no areas of land as large as any of the American colonies were gained, hundreads of island came under the King's control. During World War II, as the Island came under attack from German forces, many of Paranor's colonies used the opportunity to fight for independence. A huge number of resources was lost for the struggling country and the Government heavily relied on aid given as part of the Marshall Plan. Over the coming decades the country moved towards prosperity and remained one of the world's few complete monarchies that was also strongly capitalist.

King Donaill II

Until 2008 Paranor Island was a monarchy with the King Donaill II as the last supreme ruler. The King's power was limitless as he appointed all lawmakers and there was no constitution in the country. During the reign of the Illia family, the crown was always inherited by the first son of the King. However, since the Leah family came to power in 1845, it was the first child of the ruling monarch that become the heir, meaning women could now sometimes became the nation's leaders.

In the decades preceding the end of the monarchy, the state had elements that resembled a constitutional monarchy. There was an elected parliament, which acted on behalf of the King, and was led by An Chéad Aire (Prime Minister). While it effectively ran the country, complete power was still at the King's discretion. After King Donaill dissolved the parliament, he took full charge of the country and all Department heads then answered directly to him. It was the first time in centuries that a monarch had taken such an active roll in day-today affairs. The king appointed all ministers and met with them once a week to discuss matters that relate to their particular Department.

Political parties were banned from Paranor Island while it was a monarchy. The laws of the land were, once approved by the ruling monarch, added to the Charter of Laws which gave Government Departments, as well as the police and army, the right to enforce them. Laws were usually proposed and written up by Ministers and then sent to the King for review, however Kings and Queens have also often made laws themselves.

Change to Democracy

In the past several years, as the citizens of Paranor Island became richer and more influenced by the modern world, a new movement for democracy began. Many organisations such as the Free Peoples of Paranor openly attacked the Monarchists. In 2008 the situation escalated when the FPP planted a bomb in Government Buildings in Leah, killing King Alfred IV. Although other Republicans such as Stewart Johnson, leader of the Paranor Movement for Democracy denounced the act, when King Donaill II was crowned he promised retribution against all Republicans. This event was a turning point in Paranor's history as the usually liberal leaders now started putting restrictions on the country's media in an effort to stop the democracy movement. Later in the year the King decided to dissolve the nation's parliament who ran the nation on his behalf. No reason was given for this act and the King appointed all new leaders of Government departments. After this event, PMD leader Stewart Johnson organised a protest march at the Civic Offices in Killeshan, which later turned violent when the police and army arrived.

On November 3rd 2008 the Free Peoples of Paranor detonated a large explosive, destroying a huge area of the Leah Political District. The government of Rorysville sent in troops to help fight Republicans but this move was highly criticized by Republicans. In response the bombing, King Donaill was expected to increase spending and pressure on democratic groups, but instead he announced that Paranor Island would begin an immediate move towards democracy, with PMD leader Stewart Johnson becoming Acting Prime Minister of the Provisional Government.

Constitution and Recent History

Following the ratification of the new Constitution, the Republic of Paranor Island was established. The state is now a presidential republic, with unicameral Parliament. The first elections were held in early 2009, and Acting Prime Minister Stewart Johnson was elected as as President as a candidate for his newly formed Democratic Socialist Party (DSP). The DSP also won a significant majority in both the General Assembly and Senate houses of Parliament.

From 2008 onwards Paranor was affected by the World Financial Crisis, although not to a significant degree. The economy shrunk by 3% in 2009, but is expected to grow again in 2010. The relatively conservative nature of Paranorian consumers, and a lack of economic dependence on housing that was seen in some other countries contributed to the stability of the economy. The government's stimulus package was also credited with helping to stem the loss of activity in the construction sector.

Government and Politics

Main article: Politics of Paranor Island

Cabinet of the First Government of the Republic of Paranor Island=

Department Name	Current Minister
Commerce	Robert O' Brien
Culture	John Burton
Defence	Mary Kingsley
Environment	Ryan Dawson
Education	Harry O' Rourke
Finance	James Clancy
Foreign Affairs	Brian Carmen
Health	Joan Carter
Justice	Yuri Illia
Social & Family Affairs	Francis Joans
Transport	John Lawler

Local Government

A map of the provinces of Paranor Island

Paranor Island is divided into 19 traditional provinces, each run by a Province Council. They receive their funding through by the Department of Justice and Local Government and are also administered by it. Province Councils and are charged with running local infrastructure and development projects as well as community and integration schemes. As well as the 19 Province Councils, there are also 4 city councils which are separate entities but have the same purpose.

List of provinces
- Aloria
- Ardabbot
- Dungarvin
- Eastern Mountains
- Fort Carter
- Iiarnon
- Illian
- Killeshan
- Kilfrank
- Kinsey
- Leah
- Lower Plains
- Melcena
- Northlands
- Rolla
- Southlands
- Upper Plains
- Viventum
- Western Mountains

List of cities with city councils
- Anora
- Dendron
- Illian
- Viventum

Geography, climate, and environment

Main article: Geography of Paranor Island

Paranor Island has a mild Oceanic climate with weather rarely reaching extremes. Rainfall typically reaches about 800mm a year with 2,500mm being the highest amount ever recorded. Average temperature for the year is about 11°C. The highest ever recorded temperature was 37°C (1938) and the lowest was -14°C (1899).

Economy

Main article: Economy of Paranor Island

Military

Main article: Military of Paranor Island

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Paranor Island

City Name	Population
Leah	3,232,198
Anora	1,122,765
Illian	125,623
Valhala	52,165

While Roman Catholicism is by far the dominant religion, the racial breakdown of Paranor's populace is very different.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Paranor Island

Transport

Main article: Transport In Paranor Island

Paranor Island has a very developed transport system, focused on both public and private forms of transport. The Department of Transport is in charge of all transport projects within the state and also operate all of the country's toll roads. The Island has a broad, high quality motorway system with links to all major cities and towns. Smaller towns are usually linked to the motorway system by dual-carriageways or high quality roads. Since 1990, the Department of Transport has spent over £80billion on public transport, with all major cities now possessing light rail systems, as well as heavy commuter rail. The Department of Transport also operates all public transport under it's executive arm, Paranor Transport.