The Kingdom of Giran de Cani
From SCJU Wiki
| |||||
| Motto: ab urbe condita, anno urbis conditae | |||||
| Anthem: [1] Marchia Realis | |||||
| |||||
| Capital | Athena Furiae | ||||
| Largest city | Athena Furiae | ||||
| Official language(s) | Giranese, Latin, Italian, Spanish | ||||
| Government Monarch
Prime Minister | Constitutional Monarchy Aurelus III Al Nimbus (Interim) | ||||
| Formation - The Great Union - The Great Establishment | November 15th, 1365 April 3rd, 1750 | ||||
| Area • Total • Water (%) | 25,460 km² (?) 3.2% | ||||
| Population • 2005 est. • 1999 census • Density | 8,001,135 (?) 7,987,546 314/km² (25th) | ||||
| GDP (PPP) • Total • Per capita | 2005 estimate $290.11 billion ($ 25,760) $31,258 (29th) | ||||
| HDI (2003|2005) | 0.929 21th – high | ||||
| Currency | The Unio (Ú), formerly Giranese Roma (ψ) ( | ||||
| Time zone • Summer (DST) | (UTC+1) (UTC+1) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .gc | ||||
| Calling code | +23
| ||||
Contents |
Background Information
The Kingdom of Girande Cani is a small island kingdom located in the southwestern part of Europe, on the Western side of the Mediterranean Sea. It shares maritime borders with Sardinia to the east, France to the north, The Balearic Islands to the west and Algeria to the south.
Summary
- Full Name - The Former Roman Province of Giran de Cani
- Short Name - The Kingdom of Giran de Cani
- Conventional Name - Giran de Cani
- Government Orientation - Traditional Royal Conservatism
- Government Type - Semi-Constitutional Monarchy
- Monarchy - The House of Savoy
History
Founded in 208 AD by Roman Emperor Severus Septimus, the small island was proclaimed as a Roman Province but soon after became a Kingdom when Roman General Augustus Druantia positioned himself as King. The north of the island was the first part to be developed; a small settlement in the north started to grow and became the centre of society; the first city from which Giranese society began to expand, hence the motto "ab urbe condita, anno urbis conditae" or "from the founding of the city" was given the name of Athena, named after the Greek godess, and the land outside the city became a province and was named Canis. It was rich in gold and other minerals. Roman rule ends in the whole of the Roman Republic when The final end of the Western Empire came in 476 with the death of its last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, ironically named after one of the twin founders of Rome, and the proclamation of the German barbarian general Odoacer as king of Italy.
the Roman descendents then decide to explore the rest of the island and move south while still fighting and terrorising the native pagans in the name of Rome in search of more minerals, since the ones in the north had already exhausted. By this time, the more educated Pagan natives start rioting against the Roman settlers that were left behind by the ever collapsing empire. Perhaps the most outstanding fighter that the country has ever seen was pagan general Costantinus Zenovia who with his weapons made of stone and sticks and his militias of untrained men defetated many of the remaining Roman colonies. However many more were left and integrated well in Canisian society, as a result of this mixture of cultures, Roman Catholicism became the main religion and Latin became the main language. The city of Magnitas was the next most important settlement built in the south of the island. It broke away from the north (Canis) and became a republic modelled after Rome and was named Giranis after a local pagan statue which the natives worshipped as their God.
There were many wars for full control of the island; while the north was a kingdom, the south was a republic, each claimed pieces of land from one another among other things such as agricultural produce and fish. Perhaps one of the most significant conflicts to storm the small island was the so called "Conflicto Avaro" started by Aragonian settlers from the Iberian Peninsula in 980 AD. Their cause was to unite the north and the south and take complete control of a united island in order to exploit its minerals and take them back to their homeland, the growing Kingdom of Aragon. Many people favoured the idea of a union but turned against the Aragonese when it became evident that their only desire was to abuse the islanders and steal their property.
The battles for power continued for the next 300 years until 1290 when the Catholic Church managed to become a mediator between both the Kingdom of Canis and the Republic of Giranis. Even though the Church was allied to the Canisian King, Faustus IV, it became clear that region wide desire for an end to conflict was unstoppable and someone or something had to make that happen. The Pax Acta or the Act of Peace was then signed by both, Faustus IV of Canis and Emperor Caesar of Giranis. This granted long lasting peace, however it wasn't enough and the people wanted to unite both sides.
On November 15th 1365, both sides agreed to unite. The Republic of Giranis gave up some of its sovereignty in return for more food and support from the wealthier Kingdom of Canis. This date became known as "The Great Union". The island was now united under the name of Giranis de Canis (literally meaning "Giranis of Canis") It was agreed that King Aurelus I of Canis would become the supreme ruler of the new nation and that his successor would be the Governor of Giranis, Caesar II. In 1411, 46 years after The Great Union, further consolidation of the ruling families of the former kingdom and republic culminated in the marriage of Antonia of Canis and Constanzio of Giranis who had a baby daughter whom they named Laurina. Giranis de Canis was now ruled by one family.
Laurina I and The House of Savoy
At the age of fifteen, the crown princess of Giranis de Canis, Laurina, married Amadeus VIII Count of Savoy in 1426 when he was 46. They had three children:
Aurelus of Savoy (1428) Palatin of Savoy (1431) Margaret of Savoy (1432)
Princess Laurina became queen of Giranis of Canis at the age of 39 in 1450. Her husband, the Count of Savoy ruled the country for little less than a year until his death in 1451. Queen Laurina I committed suicide 5 years later, the reaons are still unknown but her legacy brought Giranis of Canis closer to Europe.
.
Aurelus II
Born in 1428, the eldest son of Laurina I and Amadeus VIII of Savoy, he became King at the age of 28 making him the youngest King at the time. He is known as Aurelus the Peaceful for his interference at ending the Hundred Years War which overwhelmed the rest of Europe for 116 years. His main actions were making alliances with the majority of members within the House of Savoy and eventually withdraw their dominions from the war by dissolving the armies and royal guards on the territories which included Naples, Sardinia, Sicily and Aragon. He married Ferdinanda I of Naples and had a son named Federick who eventually became Federick I of Gianis de Canis, Naples and the Two Sicilies. The House of Savoy was now controlled directly from the city of Athena in Canis and Federick was the King and ruler of the vast expanse of land occupying most of southern europe. Aurelus II is revered as one of the greatest statemen of the country, he redistributed incoming wealth in equal measures to all regions of the country therefore closing the massive gap between the rich and the poor. He shortened the name of the country to Giran de Cani with the purpose of forgetting the conflicts of the Middle Ages.
.
The Modern Age, Science and the Inquisition
In the 1700-1800s, the country continued to prosper, it's people had been enjoying free education and growing wealth for centuries which meant that they were some of most educated in the world, famous scientists and Astronomers like Anastacius Hormisidas and Severunnus Theodorem we both world renowned academics, who mixed with the likes of Newton and Darwin .........more to come................
The Great Fury
In 1749, massive rioting broke out again in the capital Athena, there were massive protests and the people were demanding democracy, the economy slowed and trade partners were starting to drift away from the giranese economy, this period of resentment was named "La Grandis Furiae" (or The Great Fury) by King Faustus III. at this stage, the King decided to appoint an advisory council made up of members from all over the country, the council was named The Royal Great Council, this eased the situatiuon, but it wasn't enough so the king decided to rid himself of many royal powers and renamed the council as the House of Deputees who later decided on a leader; this became known as The Great Establishment (1750) which was when the country was re-established as a solid semi-democracy. The people of the capital elected Costas Apolous as the first ever Prime Minister; he was also a foreigner from Greece and renamed the capital Athena as Athena Furiae (the Fury of Athena) in tribute to the people who protested and defended democracy.
In 1756, Apolous founded the Socialist Party, he died later that year, in 1756. After the death of King Faustus III, his son Amalus X founded a rival party which he named the Royalist Party and was designed for the monarchy to regain its powers from the government, the rich loved it and vote buying was widespread but it was seen as a corrupt party by the rest of the population. By 1830, the Royalist Party came to power to rule for a future 15 years when the Socialist Party was again re-elected but they couln't do much since they had little powers to govern the country
in 1890, the Royalist Party regained control of the House of Deputees after 45 years of Socialist Rule. in 1918, the country was used as a battleground by German and coalition troops despite the country remaining in a neutral position, but then again the Royalists did nothing to protect the people. 1918-1925 was a period of long reconstruction. By 1939, the country declared war on the Nazis and joined the coalition troops.
In 1940, a new era of politics was born, The Social Democratic Party was founded and came to power in 1960, then in 1970, the Royalist Party takes over again under the rule of Queen Laurina IV. She is the most corrupt monarch that the people had ever seen, she bought mansions in Monaco and Venice, she spent more time travelling and living a good life than ruling the country, she even hired gangsters to kill Socialist Activists.
Between 1990-1994, The Socialist Democratic Party and The Socialist Party form a coalition known as the Communist Coalition which was later renamed the Communist Party, by this time, Gustni Lovrisi is sworn in as the party's leader, in 1998, Prince Aurelus of Magni Druantia becomes King Aurelus III after his mother's tragic death in a plane crash in Rio De Janeiro, the Crown Prince then takes over as monarch at the age of 46.
Geography
Giran de Cani consists predominantly of a small island with a distinctive oval shape that lies on the Mediterranean Sea, where together with its outlying islands Drion and The Fragatas it creates distinct bodies of water, such as the Autunum Bahium (Autumn Bay) to the south, the Costeris River to the north-east and the Athenan Sea to the east.
The North Valley mountains form the backbone of this island, leading north-west to where they join the northern plains, the mountain range that then forms an arc enclosing Giran de Cani from the north. Here is also found a large alluvial plain, the Thenarean plain, drained by the Costeris River--which is the Giran de Cani's biggest river--and its many tributaries flowing down from the Nothern Valley.
Its highest point is Santo Eufrasio Mont at 4,810 m, but Giran de Cani is more typically associated with two famous volcanoes: the currently dormant Alba near Costeris and the very active Driona on Drion.
Government
His Majesty Aurelus III
King Aurelus III of Giran de Cani (Aurelus Romulus Santo Domingo de Savoy et Jerusalem) Born on January 26th 1942 in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is the reigning king of Giran de Cani since 1998.
Aurelus is married to Sofia Bette von Habsburg-Giran. Aurelus III also claims the title of King of Jerusalem, as one of the successors to the royal family of Naples from the house of Savoy.
Early Life
[[Image: |thumbnail|left|371px|One of the official portraits of the Royal Family. From left to right, King Aurelus III and his wife Queen Sofia, centre Princess Vittoria, Duke Julio, Princess Manuela Fernanda and Prince Alonso, right.]] Born in the Dominican Republic where his family decided to go into exile from the violence that WWII inflicted upon many parts of Europe including Giran de Cani. For the first 8 years of his life, Aurelus was educated by Giranese and Spanish tutors in Mexico City and Buenos Aires. He received the title of Prince of Santo Domingo upon his birth for having been born in the capital city of the Dominican Republic; Giranese Royal Law states that "every crown Prince or Princess must be made Prince or Princess of the city, town, village or hamlet in which they are born even if this implies creating a Principality". At first, the Dominican government did not agree to this but after negotiations, it was agreed that the title of Prince of Santo Domingo would be created for ceremonial purposes only and that it will cover every other Giranese crown prince or princess born there, this is known as the "Principado Estraniero". In 1960, his parents sent him for two years to serve in the Roman Legions (Name of the Giranese Army) and this is where he got his ideals of Royalist Conservativism. During his later years, he spent much of his time campaigning on behalf of the Royalist Party which he supported and funded with his own money.
At the age of 21, the prince married Sofia Bette von Habsburg, a relative to the now extinct German royal family. Upon marrying Aurelus, she became Sofia Bette von Habsburg-Giran. They have four children, Vottoria, the Crown Princess and Princess of Thenares, Julio, Third Duke of Athena Furiae, Princess Manuela Fernanda and Alonso Giacomo, the Royal Infant who is only 14.
Arelus III is earned a PhD from Oxford University in Economics and Philosophy and took a second degree in Theology at the University of Salamanca in Spain.
Role in contemporary Giranese Politics
The resignation of Royalist Party leader Hazen Ottun from the Giranese Prime Ministership in 2003 marked the effective begining of Aurelus' active involvement in Giranese politics. Ottun had ruled for over a decade, and his administration helped consolidate the semi democratic gains initiated by Laurina IV and thus maintained the stability of the nation. Today the King exercises a lot of real power over the country's politics, he is regarded as an essential symbol of the country's unity. Unlike many other European monarchs, under the constitution, the King has immunity from prosecution in matters relating to his official duties. He gives an annual speech to the nation on Christmas Eve. He is the commander-in-chief of the Giranese armed forces. He installed an interim government at the begining of 2004 and decided to keep the Royalists in power until their official term ends in February 2006. Through the interim Government he has introduced a series of free market reforms which at first seemed to be favourable for the economy but the recent economic crisis in October 2005 proved otherwise. The country went into immediate decline and the only two stock markets went out of business due to the lack of currency and bonuses. This led to numerous job losses and widespread depression even in the most well-off families in the country. The authorities lost complete control of law and order because of massive rioting throughout Giran de Cani including the destruction of the Royal Palace and a bomb on the 67th floor of Petro Giran HQ in Athena Furiae. The Royal Palace incident is still not very clear but some prosecutions have been made. The authorities deny any links with the economic crisis. Aurelus III has also been heavily criticized by international organizations for his increasingly dictatorial ways of governing; even though the press in Giran de Cani is relatively free, the state owned newspapers, radio stations and television channels are closely monitored by the Censorship Council and many people hold the news to be heavily biased.
The King is in complete control of the country after he constitutionally obtained emergency powers following the economic crisis. He has recently called for general elections to take place at the end of February 2006, His Majesty has publically given support to Royalist Party candidate Armando Arismendi.
Constitutional Monarchy
As constitutional monarchy, Giran de Cani is partly controlled by a form of monarchical government established under the constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. As a modern constitutional monarchy, Giran de Cani used to implement the concept of trias politica or "separation of powers", where the monarch either is the head of the executive branch or simply has a ceremonial role. Where a monarch holds absolute power, it is known as an absolute monarchy, and law within an absolute monarchy can often be quite different from law within a constitutional monarchy. Giran de Cani is nether a full constitutional monarchy nor an absolute monarchy, whilst the king or queen vests substantial real power, people are free to elect their own politicians and until recently, Kings or Queens had very rarely interfered in politics
Today, Giran de Cani's system of constitutional monarchy is combined with representative democracy, and represents theories of sovereignty which places sovereignty in the hands of the people, and those that see a role for traditions in the theory of government. Though the king or queen may be regarded as the head of state, the Prime Minister, whose power derives directly or indirectly from elections, is head of government, although the king or queen has the constitutional right to either approve or disprove with this; a recent example is King Aurelus III, he has been the head of government since he ascended to the throne but has allowed his prime ministers to be the leaders of the cabinets.
Government Institutions
Military
The Roman legion (from Latin legio, from legere - "to collect") is the basic military unit of Giran de Cani. Established by the Roman Republic, it still exists today, in Roman times, the Giranese Legion was known as Legion 26. It consists of 12,000 highly specialised soldiers who have been traditionally trained in the Spanish Pirynees and are capable of enduring harsh cold weather as well as hot desert conditions. This 12,000 men are the equivalent to what is known as light infantry.
Legion Infantry Equipment The equipment of infantry forces has evolved along with the development of military technology in general, but certain constants remain regarding the design and selection of this equipment. Primary types of equipment are weaponry, protective gear, survival gear, and special equipment.
Infantry weapons include all types of personal weapons, i.e. anything that can be handled by individual troops, as well as some small crew-served weapons that can be carried and used by infantry. Modern infantry weaponry include rifles, machine guns, shoulder-fired rocket launchers and missiles, and lighter mortars and grenade launchers. Older examples of infantry weapons include all sorts of melee weapons and some light ranged weapons such as spears, bows, and slings. During operations, especially in modern times, infantry have a tendency to scavenge and employ whatever weapons they can acquire in addition to those given them by their superiors.
Cavalry Antonius D' Lonta's decisive victory at the Battle of Al Andalus in 1757 firmly established Giranese supremacy in the Mediterranean thereby opening the door for expansion of the Giranese Legions. Some 10 years after Al Andalus the Giranese started to come into contact with a unique and vigorous power on the eastern Mediterranean , The Ottoman Empire. 3,000 men in cavalry defended the city of Andeles from the powerful eastern armies of Turkey and Persia while still allowing them to settle in the city providing that they give up their weapons and integrate in Giranese society; this marked the birth of the city of Andeles as we know it today. The muslim heritage of the new settlers renamed it Al Andalus and have since maintained a formidable cavalry section of the Giranese Legion numbering around 4,000 men.
Air Force
The Forcia Auronattica Giranessa is the Giranese air force. It was founded as an independent service arm on the July 20th, 1925, by Queen Vittoria I as the Auronattica Realis(meaning "Royal Air Force"). The FAG was first in use during World War II, when Giran de Cani joined the allies.
Aircraft Aermacchi MB-339 F-16 ADF (34 leased from USAF) Eurofighter Typhoon (Initial Operational Capability achieved on 16th of December 2005 and on Quick Reaction Alert since then) AMX Tornado IDS Tornado IT-ECR C27J Spartan C-130J KC-767A RQ-1A Predator GROB G.103 HH-3F Piaggio P180 Avanti Br 1150 Atlantic SF.260 Falcon 50 A.319 CJ Falcon 900EX
It's personnel numbers around 7,000, the FAG is the only service arm of the Giranese Military in which women are allowed to participate.
Giranese Navy
Ships Currently Active: Aircraft carriers STOVL Vittoria II (C 551), Destroyers: Lamdi class Lamdi (D 551), Lamdi (D 550), De La Lomma class Faustus X De la Lomma (D 560), Aurelus II (D 561), Frigates Mancuso class Mancuso (F 570), Grecale (F 571), Libeccio (F 572), Liberio(F 573), Aliseo (F 574), Euro (F 575), Espero (F 576), Zaffiro (F 577),
Corvettes - Patrol Ships:
Soldati class
Artigliere (F 582),
Aviere (F 583),
Bersagli (F 584),
Granati (F 585),
Minerva class - 1st series
Minerva (F 551),
Danaide (F 553),
Urania (F 552),
Sfinge (F 554),
Minerva class - 2nd series
Driade (F 555),
Chimera (F 556),
Fenice (F 557),
Sibilla (F 558),
classe Cassiopea
Cassiopea (P 401),
Libra (P 402),
Spica (P 403),
Vega (P 404),
Comandanti class (NUMC),
Comandante Cigala Fulgosi (P 490) ,
Comandante Borsini (P 491),
Comandante Bettica (P 492),
Comandante Foscari (P 493),
Cassiopea 2 class (NUPA),
Sirio (P 409),
Orione (P 410),
Submarines:
SPelosi (S522),
Prini (S523),
Longobardo (S524),
Gazzana (S525),
[edit]
Training ships
Palinuro (A 5311)
Amerigo Vespucci (A 5312)
Corsaro class:
Stella Polare (A 5313),
Corsaro II (A 5316).
Giranese Intelligence Agency (AGI)
The agency was established in 1977, in response to a desire to decentralize the Giranese intelligence community. This came after Umbertus Adonis arrest, in 1973, a P2 member, chief of the SI (Servitto Informattional), Army Intelligence's Service from 1969 and SI's head from 1970 to 1973, accused of "conspiration against the state". General Umberto Adonis was the AGI's director in 1975. In 1977, the secret services were reorganized in a democratic attempt. With law #801 of 24/10/1977, SI was incorporated into the AGI (Agenztia Giranessa de Intelligentia),
the AGI is responsible for intelligence and security tasks for the military defence of Giran de Cani, and for the integrity of the Giranese State.
AGI is under the authority of the Giranese Ministry of Defense, and operates both inside and outside of Giran de Cani's borders. Domestic Intelligence and Security in Giran de Cani, usually the responsibility of the AGI (which reports to the Ministry of the Interior
Its duties include:
clearing activities with the Prime Minister; naming, with the oversight of the AGI, the Director of the Service and his assistants. The director at present is General Alfonso Valdivia.
Church and State
One of the most controversial issues in the contemporary history of Giran de Cani is the role of religious organisations, especially the Roman Catholic Church in social and cultural change. In Giran de Cani, the Roman Catholic Church has been one of the central political forces and constructors of ideologies and world views. This relationship examines the role which churches, and especially the Roman Catholic Church play in the current process of transformation and reconstruction of identity of Giranese Society.
In most parts of Giran de Cani religion is still a very significant part of that shared national culture, and churches play an important role as constructors and promoters of national culture. Faith and church were strongly linked with the national identity, especially in Giran de Cani, where most of the neighbours and most of the historical enemies defined as such by the mythologised national history were of different religion.
All state schools and universities are controlled by the Catholic Church (The University of Magnitas is an exception) under the condition that they follow the standard government curriculum; in the House of Deputies, two seats are reserved for the Camerlengo and the Bishop of Athena Furiae and both have the right to vote on laws and acts, their main role when in parliament is to provide MPs with hope and peace through mass which is held everytime Parliament holds a session, the House of Deputies in Athena Furiae is the only Parliament in the world which has been consacrated in order to hold masses in it. Teaching evolution is still illegal but students can learn about it private schools.
By law, every Prime Minister must be a Roman Catholic; only two countries in the world have such a law: Giran de Cani and Argentina.
The Governemrt as well as the Monarch are still tightly attached to Christianity thus strengthening the relationship between church and state. The Giranese Communist Party has vowed to separate these two if it gets elected in the general election of 2005
Provinces
Principalities
National Identity
Economy
Giran de Cani has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for a considerable part of GDP. The Giranese tourism industry remains thriving and its contribution in the growth of the GDP is considered important through foreign exchange earnings. What is more, Giran de Cani is a global leader in shipping (ranking third in terms of ownership of vessels and sixth by flag registration). Exports of manufactured goods including telecommunications hardware and software, agricultural products, other foodstuff and fuels also account for a significant part of Giranese income. Moreover, the country is the largest investor in southern Europe as far as the previous sectors are concerned. For more than two decades after 1950, Giran de Cani had the second highest economic growth rate in the world after Japan, resulting in a dramatic improvement in living standards. Since Giran de Cani became a full member of the SCJU, back in 2005, it's economy has become even more attractive.
The country enjoys a high standard of living, ranking 21st on the 2005 Human Development Index and 29th on The Economist's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index. Average per capita income in 2005 was estimated at $31,258. The Giranese Economy has seen uninterrupted strong growth since 1992 and above the European average continuously since 1994. Part of the Giranese economy's impressive growth is attributed to the fact that the previous government tightened fiscal policy regulations in the run-up to the country's entry into the SCJU, set on July 27th, 2005. Also liberalisation of domestic markets, a modernised banking system, as well as massive investment, have fueled the Economy. Moreover, Giran de Cani has been a net importer of foreign workers, mainly from neighbouring Spain, Portugal and Eastern Europe (mainly from Ukraine), since the early 1990s.
Today the country is dealing with various challenges, including the reduction of unemployment which currently stands at slightly below 10%, the reform of the social security system, the privatization (at least in part) of the public sector, the overhauling of the tax system and the further reduction of certain bureaucratic inefficiencies. Forecasts predict that 2006 will be yet another year of substantial economic growth, estimated to reach 3.7%, well above the European average. Shortly after its election, the conservative Royalist government started developing a new high technology and biotechnology sector which has been growing at a magnifiscent pace since 1992 and is a major research contributor to science as well as the main investor in southern Europe and northern Africa.
The Royal Central Bank, now a subsidiary of the SCJU Central Bank, functions as the nation's central bank. This bank is not the same as the "National Bank of Giran de Cani", a commercial bank.
The Giranese Boom
The Giranese Boom was a time of skyrocketing land and stock prices in the Giranese economy, lasting from 1985 to 1995.
At the height of the Giranese Boom, "it was a matter of pride that the land around the Royal Palace in Athena Furiae was at one point worth more than California," the 1993 Finance Minister said. Giran de Cani regained a sense of national pride and assertiveness as a result of its new power, which manifested itself in works such as "The Influx of Dollars" by Alicio Penasco and Aero Giran founder Roberto Pernambuco. Accounts also report of high-level executives eating gold-sprinkled food and eating with gold spoons. Many in the US and other countries were alarmed by this Giranese resurgence, leading to criticism from foreign observers.
Prices were highest in Athena Furiae's Downtown, Rosa and Campus Realis districts in 1992, with some fetching over US $1 million per square meter ($139,000 per square foot), and just a bit less exhorbitant in other areas of Athena Furiae. By 2005, prime property in Athena Furiae's financial districts were less than 1/100th of their peak, and Athena Furiae's residential homes were 1/10th of their peak, but still managed to be listed as some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Athena Furiae's downtown distrcit saw the largest growth in economic and physical terms, physical because one or two skyspcrapers were springing up every month therefore creating an almost unrealistic cluster of high-rises due to its location on the Mediterranean Sea which is stereotipically associated with villas and barren farm land. Some US $200 billion (1999 dollars) was wiped out with the combined real estate and Bolsa Realis stock market collapse in 2005.
Private Debt and The Crash
Demographics
Related Article-Customs and Traditions
Population
Giran de Cani is a largely urbanised nation, it has a population density of 314 inhabitants per km2 and a total population of around 8,000,000. Its largest city is Athena Furiae which also is the capital and centre for government. 92.3% of the population lives in towns and cities and around 610,000 live in rural areas and the majority of these are subsidised farmers, huge government subsidies and incentives is what keeps them in the countryside which has seen a massive decrease in its population since 1990. Other cities of importance include Magnitas, Druantia and Dobregatt.
| Rank | City | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athena Furiae | 1,015,135 | |
| 2 | Magnitas | 994,798 | |
| 3 | Druantia | 678,120 | |
| 4 | Dobregatt | 435,000 | |
| 5 | Dolce Regina | 352,249 | |
| 6 | Athena Caelorum | 328,690 | |
| 7 | Astoria | 311,500 | |
| 8 | Caesaris | 298,900 | |
| 9 | Vallis Nordi | 274,890 | |
| 10 | Gallia Cislsapina | 259,360 | |
| 11 | Al-Andalus | 228,700 | |
| 12 | Thenares | 180,400 | |
| 13 | Drion | 121,970 |
Ethnicity, Race and Languages
The Giranese are a Southern European ethnic group found primarily in Giran de Cani and in a wide-ranging diaspora throughout Western Europe and the Americas. Their native language Giranese and their religion is predominantly Roman Catholic.
Speakers of a Romance language, the Giranese have some eclectic origins, due to Giran de Cani's history of invasions and migrations. The appellation Giranese is possibly derived from the Greeks who used the term to describe the Ancient Giranic, Asturian and Aragonese peoples, who pre-date the coming of Indo-European invaders.
There are almost 8,000,000 million autochthonous Giranese in Giran de Cani alone, while around 10,000 are found in Switzerland, and around 28,000 in Italy. Smaller groups can also be found in Spain and Portugal. There is a notable Giranese diaspora in the United States (Girano-Americans), Brazil (Girano Brazilians), Argentina (Girano Argentinians), Venezuela (Girano Venezuelans), Uruguay (Girano Uruguayians), Colombia (Girano Colombians), Belgium (Girano Belgians), Australia (Girano Australians), and France (Girano French). Estimates suggest that the number of ethnic Giranese living outside Giran de Cani is around 10,000,000; that is more than the population of Giran de Cani itself.
Some Giranese, direct descendants of Spaniards speak Spanish as their first language, these number around 500,000 thus the recognition of Spanish as an official language. Latin is also a well established and growing language, it has been the official language of governments since Roman times and although the number of Latin speakers is only around 5,000, it is recognised as an official language because it is taught is schools, universities and a large number of churches still hold mass in Latin, most people are familiar with many academic and religious Latin terms and phrases.
There is also a large nummber of Italian speakers in Giran de Cani, particualrly since the 1920-30s when 1,000,000 Italians fled their country to escape fascist rule and settled in Giran de Cani. There have also been previous migrations dating back to the Middle Ages when Giranese first appeared as a language. Giranese is a mixture of Spanish, Iatlian and Latin and is therefore a Romance Language.
There are also some 300 languages spoken in Giran de Cani which are not offcially recognised, the main one being Greek followed by Arabic and English.
Religion
Roman Catholicism is by far the most popular religion in the country. According to estimates by (CIA World Fact Book 2005), it is safe to conclude that 95% of the Giranese population self-identify as Roman Catholic, whereas around 5% identify with either other religions or none at all. Giran de Cani also has some important pilgrimages and famous Roman Catholic churches, cathedrals and sites. According to many other books (Reference) surveys (The Holy See Attendance Survey) Giran de Cani can claim above 70% weekly church attendance rate.
The second largest Christian group in Giran de Cani are Jehovah's Witnesses with some 150,000 active members, and are growing annually. There are few Protestant denominations in Giran de Cani, mostly Greek Orthodox. Recent immigration from the North Africa has led to an increasing number of Muslims, but has cooled off due to larger immigration from Eastern Europe. The Muslim population currently stands at 150,000 (legal immigrants and descendants of Muslim invaders from the Middle Ages) or 1.8% of the population, lower than many Western European nations. Around 30,000 Jews, and 10,000 Buddhists live in Giran de Cani.
Education
Giran de Cani's education system is divided into Pre-Escolaris (children less than 5 years old), Primaris (three phases in a total of 9 years), Secundaris (three years, several areas) and Terceris (Universities and Colleges grouped into Polytechnic Institutes). Education is free and compulsory for 16 years of study. A newly undertaken scheme will make education compulsory until the student becomes an adult (18 years old). The country still has a 0.7% illiteracy rate, almost exclusively among the elderly.
The first Giranese university – The University of Magnitas - was created on March 1st, 1290 in Magnitas with the document "Scientiae conocimento" by King Sabiondus I. In 1559, the University of Athena Furiae was founded in Giran de Cani by Cardinal Raunurum. In the 18th century, Antonio Descartes, Marquis of Vallis Nordi closed the University of Athena Furiae, because he wanted to exterminate the Jesuit power in Giran de Cani and in its empire. He also reformed the University of Magnitas, as it was divorced from the true exact sciences. In 1820, the university was reopened again and moved to the outskirts of the city. The 19th century - the industrialization era - created the need for new education institutions in the country, the "industrial studies". In 1837, the Escolaris Politecniquis (Polytechnic School) in Magnitas and the Academis Politécniquis opens. The rhetorical behaviour of these new institutions led the first Prime-Minister of the Kingdom Costas Apolous in 1852 to create the Institutti Industrialis de Magnitas (Institute of Industry, today's IIM and IIAF) in Athena Furiae and the Escolaris Industralis (School of Industry, today's EISPIG) in Druantia. In 1825, the Magnitas Royal School of Surgery and Athena Caelirum Royal School of Surgery had also opened.
With the advent of democracy, the polytechnic and surgery schools were incorporated as faculties into the newly created University of Druantia and the University of Thenares. The Magnitas Institute of Industry led to the creation of IIM (the Institute of Technology) which was grouped with other colleges in the Technical University of Druantia in the 1930s. In the 1960s the first non-governmental institution opened, the Giranese Catholic University.
The 1970s marked a new era in Giran de Cani's higher education with many universities and polytechnics opening in many cities, such as the University of Terra Avis and the University of Al-Andalus in the universitary subsector, and the Magnitas Polytechnic and Athena Furiae Polytechnic in the polytechnic subsector. Subsequently, several private universities opened.
Today, the city of Magnitas has a world-wide renowned reputation for its high-level and intense education system which was made independent from the central government and also for its massive investments in the research and development areas which some believe are opening a new "era of enlightment for the 21st century". Most of the country's top politicians attended the university of Magnitas, one of the best in the world.
The University of Magnitas:It is the only Giranese university to figure in the World's Top 10 Universities List, it ranks 7th.
Established in 1290, the University of Magnitas is Giran de Cani's oldest university.
With 10 faculties, 15 graduate schools and 11 research institutes (including the Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology), it has been a guiding force in research and education.
It offers courses in essentially all academic disciplines at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and provides research facilities.
The University has a faculty of approximately 2,800 professors, associate professors and lecturers, and a total student enrollment of about 28,000.
As of 2003, approximately 2,100 international students and 2,200 foreign researchers come annually to the University for short and extended visits. The University of Magnitas today boasts 11 Nobel Prize winners and this year it will have a further 2 recipients of the prestigious honour.
Recent Events
 SCJU Community of Nations
|