by Max Barry

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18

The Empire of Aikoland Overview (Incomplete)

Empire of Aikoland
Empire d'Aikoland (French)
Empero di Aikoland (Aikoais)
Imper de Aikou-land (Saunian)
Inpira d'Aïkolande (Boullién)
Trois États, Une Impératrice
(Three States, One Empress)
Link
The flag of Aikoland.
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Link
The coat of arms of Aikoland.
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Link
Aikoland's location in Europe.
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Area: 24,392 km² (9629 mi²)

Population: 5,563,183 (2015 census); 6,073,712 (2023 estimate)
Population Density: 249/km² (630/mi²)


Capital and Largest City: Ville d'Aiko (City Pop: 897,749; Urban Pop: 1,539,462)
Official Language: French

Native Minority Languages: Aikoais, Saunian, Boullíen

Ethnic Groups: White (97%), Black (2.5%), Other (0.5%)

Religion: Roman Catholicism (73%), Irreligious (21%), Protestant (3%), Muslim (2%), Other (1%)

Demonym(s): Aikolandais (English), Aikolander (English), Aikolandais (French, masculine), Aikolandaise (French, feminine)


Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monarch: Élisabeth IV
Prime Minister: Mélodie Bélanger

Legislature: Parliament
Upper House: Senate
Lower House: Chamber of Deputies


Currency: Aikolandais franc
GDP: US$283.4 billion
GDP per capita: US$46,688
HDI: 0.898
・very high - 28th
Time zone: UTC+1 (CET)
・Summer (DST): UTC+2 (CEST)
Driving side: Right
Internet TLD: .ai

The Empire of Aikoland (French: Empire d'Aikoland) is a small island nation located to the south of France near the islands Corsica and Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea. A constitutional monarchy, the head of state of Aikoland is the Emperor or Empress of Aikoland, a title which was only adopted in 1810, prior to 1810, the monarchs of Aikoland were styled as King or Queen. The head of government of Aikoland is the Prime Minister. The current monarch of Aikoland is Empress Élisabeth IV, who has reigned since 1992, and the current Prime Minister is Mélodie Bélanger, who has been in office since 2015.
Etymology
Aikoland gets its name from the largest of the three main islands that make up its territory, the Isle of Aiko (French: Île-d'Aiko), which is itself named after Queen Aiko, who is widely considered to have been the first monarch of what would eventually become the Empire of Aikoland and the founder of the Aikolandais Royal Dynasty in the 6th century AD, although there is no historical evidence to the existence of Queen Aiko and she is widely considered to be a legend by most historians.

History
(This section will only be brief and summarize the major events in the history of Aikoland, likely to be expanded later)

  • c. 17,000 BCE - The earliest remains of modern humans found on Aikoland date to this period.

  • c. 7th millennium BCE - The earliest evidence of the Beaumais culture is dated to this period. The Beaumais culture is the earliest known culture to exist on any of the three islands of Aikoland and is named after the city of Beaumais, in southern Saun, which was the nearest major settlement to the first archeological evidence of the Beaumais culture to be found in the early 20th century. The Beaumais culture is considered to have existed until at least the 4th millennium BCE.

  • 375 BCE - Ancient Greek writings indicate that the islands of Aiko, Saun, and Boullién were populated by Celtic peoples by this time. Some historians argue that the Celtic migrations and displacement of the pre-Celtic peoples of Aikoland may have happened as early as the 5th century BCE, but there is limited historical evidence for this.

  • 180 BCE - The islands that would become Aikoland are conquered by the Roman Republic and organised into the Roman province of Agalendia, a Latinisation of the native name for the people of Saun (the first of the islands to be conquered by Rome).

  • 510 - 525 - The traditional dates for the reign of Queen Aiko, first monarch of what would become Aikoland. No historical evidence for her existence has been found, dates come from Le Livre d'Aiko, a late 11th century text containing a list of all Kings and Queens of Aiko up to the year 1083.

  • c. 800 - Earliest reference to the 'Isle d'Aiko' dates to this period.

  • 837 - 851 - Reign of King Christian I, the earliest monarch of Aiko verifiable by contemporary records.

  • 1303 - The Kingdom of Aiko unifies with the Kingdom of Boullién and the Kingdom of Saun in personal union under Queen Marianne II.

  • 1621 - The Kingdom of Aiko establishes colonies on the islands of Saint-Siméon and Saint-Barnabé in the Lesser Antilles. These colonies will be the only attempts by Aikoland (or its predecessor states) to colonise North America.

  • 1632 - The colony on Saint-Siméon is abandoned.

  • 1635 - The colony on Saint-Barnabé is abandoned.

  • 1689 The Poste Royale (Royal Post) is established under the authority of King Charles II. Renamed in 1819 to the Poste Impériale Aikolandaise (Aikolandais Imperial Post), the Imperial Post retains a complete monopoly on the delivery of all letters and parcels within Aikoland.

  • 1719 - Under the Declaration of Union of the Three Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Aiko, the Kingdom of Boullién, and the Kingdom of Saun are incorporated into the Kingdom of Aikoland under King Christian III

  • 1794 - The United Assembly, the first Aikolandais legislature, is established alongside the first Aikolandais constitution. The United Assembly is a unicameral legislature with 50 seats being elected by and held by commoners and 50 seats being nobility appointed by the monarch. Voting is restricted to male citizens aged at least 30 who own property valued to at least 500 livres.

  • 1810 - The 1810 Constitution goes into force and the name of the country is changed to the Empire of Aikoland; King Auguste II has his title changed to Emperor Auguste II.

  • 1812 - Auguste II is deposed following a French invasion of Aikoland, Aikoland's three islands become departments of the First French Empire

  • 1814 - Aikoland regains its independence in the LinkTreaty of Paris, Élisabeth III, the only child of Auguste II, becomes Empress. (Auguste II, while still alive, decided against retaking the throne due to his advanced age of 82 at the time)

  • 1836 - The Aikolandais franc is adopted as the official currency, replacing the Aikolandais livre at a rate of 30 livres to 1 franc due to an ongoing financial crisis resulting in the rapid depreciation in the livre's value.

  • 1837 - The third constitution goes into force, creating the modern bicameral Parliament and the office of Prime Minister; Guy Auguste appointed first Prime Minister

  • 1850 - 1851 - The Uprising of 1850 - 1851, a nationwide mass movement in support of the expansion of suffrage, begins in late 1850 and continues into the next year. In response to the movement, Parliament passes the Suffrage Act 1851 in May, which abolishes property requirements for voting and expands suffrage to all male citizens aged at least 30.

  • 1873 - The Conservative Party, the first Aikolandais political party, is formally established. Prior to its establishment, the Conservatives were the Royaliste faction in Parliament.

  • 1876 - Following the lead of the Conservatives, the Citoyens faction reorganises itself into the Liberal Party.

  • 1902 - Fourth and current constitution goes into force, the Senate becomes fully elected just like the Chamber of Deputies and suffrage is extended to male citizens aged at least 20.

  • 1914 - Aikoland declares war on the Central Powers a few months after the start of the First World War

  • 1923 - Suffrage is extended to female citizens aged at least 30 who own property, either directly or through their husband, valued to at least 100 francs.

  • 1933 - The Société Radiodiffusion Aikoland (SRA, officially known in English as the Aikoland Broadcasting Corporation) is established as the state-owned public radio broadcaster in Aikoland.

  • 1935 - The Liberal Party dissolves over the topic of the party moving towards the political left in an attempt to stem the tide of the Socialist Workers Party or remain a centrist party. Most party members are in favour of moving towards the left and establish the Social Democratic Party, remnant members opposed the leftward shift of the party establish the New Liberal Party.

  • 1940 - Axis forces invade Aikoland and Aikoland is governed as part of Vichy France, His Majesty Emperor Henri VII, the Royal Family, and the Government escape to London where they form the Aikolandais Government-in-Exile

  • 1944 - Aikoland is liberated by Allied forces, Prime Minister Justin LaRue in London announces that, until he, the Sovereign, the Royal Family, and the rest of the Government-in-Exile can return from London, then Deputy Prime Minister Émile Rochefort (who remained in Aikoland after its fall to the Axis) will serve as acting-Prime Minister and is ordered to cooperate fully with Allied authorities.

  • 1945 - Following the surrender of the Axis forces in Europe, the Royal Family and the Government-in-Exile return to Aikoland on 3 June, a date now recognised as Restoration of Sovereignty Day.

  • 1945 - Aikoland becomes a founding member of the United Nations

  • 1945 - Property requirements for female voters is abolished, all citizens are granted suffrage at the age of 20.

  • 1949 - Aikoland becomes a founding member of NATO

  • 1951 - The Société Télévision Aikoland (STA, officially known in English as the Aikoland Television Corporation) is established to serve as the public television broadcaster in Aikoland. It begins broadcasting the first Aikolandais television channel, Télévision Aikoland, in the Ville d'Aiko region that year, with nationwide coverage being achieved by 1953.

  • 1951 - The Native Languages Act of 1951 is passed by Parliament, the act mandates that the Government of Aikoland recognise the languages of Aikoais, Saunian, and Boullién as 'native minority languages' of the Aikolandais state and grants them special status under the law, most notably permitting them to be displayed on equal status with the French language.

  • 1958 - Georges Bourdon is executed via guillotine for murder. Bourdon's execution would be the final execution carried out in Aikoland.

  • 1959 - The Aikolandais National Health Service, the universal healthcare system in Aikoland, is officially launched; three years after the passage of the Health Services Law of 1956. To this day, it is often referred to as Dimont's Health Service, after Hugo Dimont, Prime Minister from 1951 to 1971, who helped create the service.

  • 1962 - Following an agreement with the Aikolandais and French governments, cable television is introduced to Aikoland, allowing the receiving of French television channels within Aikoland.

  • 1970 - The STA's monopoly on television broadcasting from within Aikoland comes to an end with the beginning of television broadcasts from RTC. RTC (An abbreviation of réseau de télévision commerciale, Commercial Television Network) was established under the auspices of the Private Television Broadcasting Act 1968.

  • 1970 - The voting age is lowered from 20 to 18.

  • 1972 - Télévision Aikoland begins to broadcast programming in colour. As a result of Aikoland's broadcasting of French television channels, the SECAM system is adopted for colour broadcasting. Full-time colour broadcasting on Aikoland's then-two domestic television channels is achieved in 1975.

  • 1973 - The SRA's monopoly on radio broadcasting comes to an end.

  • 1973 - Conscription is abolished in Aikoland. Prior to 1973, all male citizens aged between 18 and 30 were required to serve either two years in the Royal Aikolandais Armed Forces or two years in an alternative civilian services if they were unable or unwilling to serve in the military.

  • 1976 - The SRA and the STA are merged to form the modern Société Radio-Télédiffusion Aikolandais (SRTA, officially known in English as the Aikolandais Broadcasting Corporation)

  • 1976 - Capital punishment is abolished in all circumstances. At the time of its abolishment, six prisoners had been given death sentences and were awaiting execution. All six prisoners had their sentences automatically commuted to life imprisonment without parole.

  • 1985 - Constitution is amended to adopt royal succession by absolute primogeniture

  • 1991 - Catherine Affré of the Social Democratic Party appointed Prime Minister, she is the first woman in Aikoland to serve as Prime Minister.

  • 1992 - Élisabeth IV becomes Empress of Aikoland following the abdication of her father, Édouard IV.

  • 1993 - A referendum on joining the then-new European Union fails to pass with 26.3% voting in favour of joining and 73.7% voting against.

  • 2001 - Aikoland becomes a member of the Schengen Area effective 4 April 2001, this was a result of agreements concluded with the EU in 1998.

  • 2013- A constitutional amendment is passed by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to recognise same-sex marriages in Aikoland, the amendment becomes part of the constitution and goes into force on 1 January 2014.

Government
Aikoland is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Empress Élisabeth IV is the monarch and head of state of the Empire of Aikoland. There have been four constitutions since 1794, with the most recent coming into force in 1902.

A parliamentary system of government was introduced at the end of the 18th century, although the monarch remained both head of state and head of government until the third constitution in 1837.

The Parliament of Aikoland meets in the Palace of Parliament and consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, both of which have been fully elected since 1902 (from 1837 until 1902, Senators were appointed by the monarch). For elections to the Chamber of Deputies, there is a single nationwide constituency which sends 115 Deputies to Parliament and for elections to the Senate, each of the three states sends ten Senators. Elections for both chambers of Parliament utilize party-list proportional representation with a 3% electoral threshold. There are no term limits for either chamber of Parliament, but neither Deputies nor Senators can stand for reelection if they are older than 75 years of age.

The Prime Minister, currently Mélodie Bélanger of the Social Democratic Party, is the head of government and the person most likely to command the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies; typically the leader of the largest party in that chamber. Constitutionally, the Prime Minister can come from either chamber of Parliament, however no Senator has become Prime Minister since Emmanuel Aveline (in office from 1896 to 1906). The members of the Prime Minister's Cabinet must be approved by the Chamber of Deputies and formally appointed by the monarch to form Her Majesty's Government.

The Social Democratic Party and the Conservative Party are considered the two major political parties in Aikoland and are descended from the Citoyens and the Royalistes, respectively, two political factions which originated in the 19th century. Other major political parties in Aikoland are the Aikolandais Socialist Party and the Aikolandais Nationalist Party, the former of which currently has thirteen total seats in Parliament (ten in the Chamber of Deputies, three in the Senate). The Nationalist Party currently has no representation in Parliament, as they lost their three seats (all in the Chamber of Deputies) following the 2021 election to the Chamber of Deputies.

Administrative Divisions
Aikoland is divided into three states (Île-d'Aiko, Île-de-Saun, and Île-de-Boullién) and the Aikolandais Capital Territory (French: Territoire de la Capitale Aikolandaise, TCA), which is congruent with the territory of Ville d'Aiko.

As a unitary state, the powers delegated to the three states is limited, although all have their own unicameral 75-seat Assembly and Governor.

The powers delegated to the TCA are similar to that of the states, with the primary differences being that the Assembly of the Aikolandais Capital Territory is only 45 seats and the leader of the TCA is the Mayor of Ville d'Aiko, as opposed to a governor.

In addition, the TCA effectively does not exist in regards to national elections and Ville d'Aiko continues to be recognised as part of Île-d'Aiko for the purposes of elections to the Senate and is part of the single nationwide constituency used for elections to the Chamber of Deputies.

Rank

Administrative Division

Population

1

Île-d'Aiko

2,107,932

2

Île-de-Saun

1,799,090

3

Île-de-Boullién

1,227,201

4

Aikolandais Capital Territory

939,489

Demographics
Population
In the 2015 census, the population of Aikoland was recorded as 5,563,183. The census has been conducted every ten years since 1805. As of 1 January 2023, the population of Aikoland is estimated at 6,073,712.

Largest Cities

Rank

City

Population (City Proper)

Population (Urban Area)

State/Territory

1

Ville d'Aiko

939,489

1,617,926

Aikolandais Capital Territory

2

Vilois

353,703

504,193

Île-d'Aiko

3

Arbrus

209,935

295,167

Île-de-Saun

4

Beaumais

124,752

170,036

Île-de-Saun

5

Challois

87,911

124,093

Île-de-Boullién

6

Les Cinq Arbres

65,712

78,315

Île-de-Aiko

7

Boudois

49,212

56,358

Île-de-Saun

8

Haumpi

44,182

54,853

Île-de-Boullién

9

Avantillois

29,712

34,395

Île-de-Aiko

10

Niensoi

19,553

26,439

Île-de-Boullíen

Languages
The official language of Aikoland is French, which has been spoken in the territory since at least the 9th century, and is the native language of 94% of the population. As Aikoland is located to the south of France, it is unknown by historians as to how French originally came to be spoken, as opposed to one of the Occitano-Romance languages. The Académie royale de la langue française d'Aikoland (Aikoland Royal Academy of the French Language) serves as the official government regulator of the French language in Aikoland and was established in 1877.

Despite the dominance of French, indigenous Romance languages were once spoken on all three islands of Aikoland until the mid to late-18th centuries before effectively becoming extinct, although all three native languages (Aikoais, Saunian, and Boullién [also referred to as Boullienese]) have had revival movements since the 20th century and are recognised as 'native minority languages' by the Government of Aikoland and they are permitted to be displayed on equal status with French.

English is understood by 36% of the population, with 2.2% of the population reporting it as their native language. It is the most commonly-spoken foreign language in Aikoland. Other commonly spoken foreign languages are Italian, Spanish, and Arabic (almost entirely spoken by the small Berber population).

It is the official language policy of the Aikolandais Government that French be used for all public correspondence and, in instances where other languages are used, French must be the most prominent language. However, there exist two official exceptions to this policy:
- Aikoais, Saunian, and Boullién are permitted to be display on equal status with French.
- Anything that is specifically aimed at non-French speakers, such as English-language newspapers, tourist guides, and bilingual dictionaries/phrasebooks are neither required to include French translations nor is French required to be the most prominent language.

Ethnic Groups
More than 85% of Aikoland's population are native Aikolandais, an ethnic group predominantly Celtic and Roman origin. The largest non-Aikolandais ethnic group is French, with 9% of the population identifying as being ethnically French in the 2015 census. Other ethnic groups living in Aikoland include Sardinians, Corsicans, Italians, English, and Berbers.

In 2017, it was reported that 97% of the population self-identifies as being white, 2.5% self-identify as being black, and 0.5% self-identify as being of another race.

Religion
Aikoland is a secular state with freedom of religion having been a constitutional right since 1794.

Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion among Aikolandais, with 73% of the population reporting to be Roman Catholic in 2018. Roman Catholicism was also the state religion until the 1902 constitution.

The non-religious make up 21% of the population as of 2018, with 17% of the population also declaring themselves to be 'convinced atheists'.

3% of the population are Protestant, 2% are Muslim, 0.5% are Jewish, and 0.5% are other religions.

Foreign Relations and Military
Foreign Relations
Aikoland is a founding member of the United Nations and NATO and maintains close ties with the European Union, despite not being a member state of that organisation. Despite not being a part of the EU, Aikoland is a member of the European Free Trade Association, the European Single Market, the Schengen Area, and the European Economic Area.

Military
The Royal Aikolandais Armed Forces (French: Forces armées royales aikolandaises) is the military of the Empire of Aikoland. Consisting of the Royal Aikolandais Army (French: Armée royale aikolandaise), the Royal Aikolandais Navy (French: Marine royale aikolandaise), and the Royal Aikolandais Air Force (Forces aériennes royales aikolandaises), there are presently 9267 active personnel and 21,626 reserve personnel. The largest branch of the Aikolandais military is the navy, with 65% of active personnel serving in that branch, compared to 25% serving in the army and 10% serving in the air force.

The Emperor or Empress of Aikoland serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Aikolandais Armed Forces and has the sole official authority to declare war and make peace with other nations. In practise, however, it is accepted that the sovereign has delegated the authority to make war or peace to the Ministry of Defence.

As of 2021, the total annual budget for the Royal Aikolandais Armed Forces is $2.184 billion, or 0.78% of the GDP.

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