17
Dispatch → Factbook → Overview
Overview of Karakalpak Republic
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Uzbek: Qoraqalpogʻiston Respublikasi
Kazakh: Қарақалпақстан Республикасы
Flag
Coat of Arms
Geological Location (In blue, but Aral Sea is bigger in this timeline)
Capital | Nukus |
Official language | Karakalpak |
Minority Languages | Kazakh, Uzbek |
Ethnic Groups | 55% Karakalpak |
Religion | 94% Sunni Islam |
Demonym | Karakalpak |
Script | Cyrrilic, Latin (Occasional) |
Gini | 28.2 (Low) |
HDI | 0.723 (High) |
GDP | 14,234.900 (Total) |
Government | Unitary, parliamentary Republic (De iure) |
‣ Ceremonial Representative: | Orak Vaganzi |
Legislature: | Supreme Assembly |
‣ Upper House | Senate |
Area | 166,600 km² |
Population | 1,600,000 |
Currency | Karakalpak Som |
Time Zone | UTC+5 |
Date Format | DD/MM/YY |
Driving Side | Right |
Calling Code | +990 |
ISO 3166 code | KR |
Internet TLD | .kar |
Formation |
|
The Sovereign Land of Karakalpakstan, also commonly referred to as ''Karakalpak Republic'', is a landlocked country located in Central Asia. It is bordered by Kazakhstan in north (Aral sea is also split between the two), Uzbekistan in east, and Turkmenistan in south. With a population of 1.6 million and area of 166,600 km², it has both the lowest population density and population of Central Asian countries, with 14 administrative divisions (districts), 12 cities, 16 towns, and 112 villages. Natural growth rate is 1.60%, with median age being around 28. Although a lot of population still lives in countryside, the development of urbanization in Karakalpakstan in recent years has been similar to that of other countries. Country's only airport is in its capital Nukus, and is useful only for travel to other countries, as you can easily get to other parts of Karakalpakstan by car, buses, or even
train. Although viability of Karakalpak independence was questioned by several Uzbek politicians in 90s, the new state had proved them wrong.HDI index of Karakalpakstan is pretty high, and it is also richer if compared to OTL where it is the poorest region of Uzbekistan. Some of the spas and resorts around the Aral sea are still around, and although products of agriculture (melons, corn, etc) still provide a significant part of the region's income, Aral Sea's fisheries still provide job for a lot of people in the region and contribute to economy. Ports like Mo'ynoq were one of the first to feel the effects of Aral Sea shrinking, so even with Aral Sea recovery project being started in 90s by Kazakhstan and Karakalpakstan, the shore line is still not near them, although the hopes of city's future are fueled by the Aral Sea slowly rising, and give strength to continue on. In comparison to OTL, the climate of Karakalpakstan is less extreme in terms of temperatures, due of Aral Sea making climate milder. In past, Karakalpakstan had tried to adopt a ''stance of neutrality'', and even now it is still a small power in region, primarily expanding its ties through diplomacy. From its neighbors it is on friendly terms with Kazakhstan, cautiously neutral with Turkmenistan due of its totalitarianism, and has mutual resentful relations with Uzbekistan. In Karakalpakstan, the term ''far west'' (Taixi) is mostly used for North American First World countries like US or Canada, although it is sometimes used to refer to the western world as a whole.
1. Etymology
2. Politics and Government
3. Economic Stuff
4. Cultural Stuff
5. Military
6. Geography
Karakalpakstan is the combination of words ''Karakalpak'', and ''Stan''. ''-stan'' is a Persian suffix for ''place of'', or ''country'', while word ''Karakalpak'' is formed from two other words - ''kara'' (black), and ''kalpak'' (hat), a.k.a ''Black hat''. It might mean the karakul hat, but it isn't known what the original meaning of ''Black hat'' was. In short, Karakalpakstan literally means ''Land of Karakalpaks''. In Classical Persian literature, the area of modern day Karakalpakstan was also known as Kāt (کات). The standard way to refer to a citizen of Karakalpakstan is as a "Karakalpak".
While it is classified as parliamentary republic, things are actually more complicated below the surface - Directorate claims, that it is one of the few countries on Earth which doesn't have a single person as head of state or government, but rather a whole party/movement as both. Directorate cites, that ''We march as an one, getting over the obstacles which many other strongmen in history failed to get over - thing is, that power was concentrated in single man's hands, and if the successor wasn't good enough, it would all go down in a drain. Besides that, if the collective puts the emphasis on group above individual, then why should a particular individual wield such power over the group? In a truly collectivist society, there is no need for a single president''. For this reason, Directorate also negatively views those who have a distaste for politicians, as it considers them necessary for country to function at all. However, Directorate as a whole can't meet with other leaders for obvious reasons, so this is where the International Representative comes in - they represent the Directorate and their country in foreign visits, and are used by the Directorate to announce news and communicate with the rest of the society (Although Directorate still rules as a single entity, rather than a council of multiple people). While International Representative could be in their post until death, it is not a lifetime position by any means - the Directorate can fire them for reasons like poor performance, or they themselves can resign/retire from their posts if they have major health issues, or feel that they are getting too old for the job. International Representative is not elected, obviously (And doesn't hold much actual power), but rather picked by Directorate itself. Still, the post of International Representative is considered as very responsible, and not at all easy one - after all, the Representative still carries the name of Karakalpakstan in the world, even if Directorate's actions speak more than words.
Although Karakalpakstan is the only Central Asian country which never had the previous General Secretary in power, the Directorate has been ruling for almost 30 years at this point - longer than some of the Central Asian strongmen. However, those years haven't been without change for Directorate - for example, in the aftermath of June Protests it had to undergo a set of reforms to various scales on the demand of protesters, although it ignored the demands of some groups (like the Islamists). Fresh blood got promoted after several of old Directorate's members were arrested, which meant that more progressive minds from younger generations arrived, creating discussions within Directorate. However, it managed to keep itself together thanks to the strict set of rules created in 90s to prevent its collapse, and the conservative part of Directorate managed to somewhat bounce back. If compared to Uzbekistan, opposition has more influence, yet at current conditions it is not strong enough, and there are concerns that Directorate might be using the state of emergency during pandemic as a way to roll back some sections of press freedom and political freedoms which were achieved in a hard fight by the opposition.
In elections you don't vote for a candidate, but rather a party. In a scenario where Directorate would lose the election (Either through a coalition or one party getting more votes), the party with most of the votes would assume the position which Directorate held, and would be able to choose a new International Representative. However, so far it seems that only Directorate's supporters are in favor of current system, because it is likely that other parties would restore the Office of President in case of victory, because the current structure is something which Directorate has adapted to for decades at this point, while other parties are structured more like conventional political parties with a strong leader. Elections of both the upper house and lower house take place every 5 years, with most members being elected at sessions of district, while some are appointed by Directorate itself (With the exception of emergency elections in cases of political change). The voting age is 18, but Directorate also has powers to suspend elections in case of National Emergency, and return to more authoritarian ruling style, which was done during the outbreak. Next election is still long away, but risk of directorate extending the ''temporary'' emergency powers is still there.
Politics of Karakalpakstan have a tendency to concentrate in large parties and mentality of ''pooling resources together'', so there are only 3 parties in total which are still around (Not counting the Directorate itself). Some were banned in past by the Directorate, while others merged with a different party. While creating more parties technically is allowed, in most of cases they don't get any significance, and are disbanded, merged, or banned in a few years. While Uzbeks and Kazakhs make a significant part of Karakalpakstan's population, Directorate has not allowed them to make separate parties, so they mostly either rally under non-party movements, or have a faction in one of the larger parties, depending on their political views (Monday's Bloc, etc).
Reporter: ''If the Representative is so important, then why there is no separate intel available for him?''
Karadnik: ''Good question! Well, there are several reasons for that. First, it is the Representative's own secrecy as he doesn't want to reveal much information for sake of privacy, especially about matters of personal life as such a position has an impact on family as well. For the same reason we have to remind his family to not brag about being related to him, not even talking about trying to use his status for personal gain or advantages - you should pay like everyone else and rise or fall with your own merit. Second, even the most important individuals can do only so much, and Representative's influence is not all that great, as he doesn't even have the powers of a president. In the end, in this country only groups and movements (or their backing) can leave a lasting change. However, that doesn't mean that biographies of representatives are not compiled, and more details about the Representative in question could be published posthumously by the Directorate.''
Monday's Bloc
Seats in Senate: 15/100
Seats in Legislative Chamber: 40/150
Origins of the party could be traced back to 2005 by several people inspired from the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, but it got its first significance in 2008, when it organized several protests against the Directorate's ruling style, and became one of the leaders of democratic opposition, called a ''Monday's Bloc'' due of Monday being associated with a new beginning. The second largest party of Karakalpakstan by both membership and seats. Supports movements fighting for democracy in other countries, and staunchly advocates for further democratization of the country, and isn't as keen on compromises anymore, considering that the outcome of them still was a hybrid regime, although some of its members view the radicalization of its members with concern, thinking of it as ''a quick way to end up getting banned''. Due of structure of Karakalpak politics and circumstances, Monday's Bloc is a wide tent party - while it is currently led by a social liberal faction, there are also social democrats within it, along with supporters of green politics, economic liberals, demsocs, and list goes on. Large part of the LGBTQ+ also support the Monday's Bloc due of situation with LGBTQ+ in country being bad to say the least - considering the other political parties, Monday's Bloc is the most accepting. Other minorities are among the supporters of the Bloc as well, due of the increase of violence towards groups like Uzbeks, which has made thousands to flee already - not acting on ethnic violence is one of the main Bloc's criticisms towards the Directorate. One of its goals is to instate a more conventional styled democratic republic, because it views the Directorate's current system as ''undemocratic, with proper democracy not being achievable in such framework''. Some of its other goals include continuing the secular policies, more involvement on international stage, condemning regimes which violate human rights, move away from the quasi-planned economical system, etc. The long term goal is to establish a multi-party democracy, and with the mission of Monday's Bloc being complete, other factions could create their own parties.
Conservative Pact
Seats in Senate: 9/100
Seats in Legislative Chamber: 24/150
Founded in 2012, initially as a group of right-wingers and social conservatives which thought that Directorate was too moderate on things like nationalism and economics. However, after the ban of the ATF in 2014, several of its supporters flocked to the Conservative Pact, which resulted in further radicalization of the average party's member. There are still a lot of more ''moderate'' religious politicians within the party, which alongside with other factions keep the image of the Pact alive, due of the Directorate actively clamping down on explicitly fundamentalist parties. Still, just like the Monday's Bloc, Conservative Pact is a big-tent group, and some of the right-wingers within the party even dislike each other - for example, the more radical Karakalpak nationalists and pan-Islamists are at odds with each other, while more industrially-minded members clash with eco-nationalists. There are even some minority members of the Pact like Kazakhs and Uzbeks, depending on their views, but that also creates tension due of the conflict with Uzbekistan in 2000s and general ethnic tension - while some Kazakhs within the Pact oppose discrimination as well, a lot more sizable portion of them assist the gangs of the Pact in harassment of the local Uzbeks. Some members of the Pact could be described as ''alt-right'' as well. Despite all of the internal differences, there are a few points which most of its members share - economical protectionism, socially conservative views, big government, anti LGBTQ+ stance, anti-communism, anti-liberalism, desire to further increase role of religion in society and government, return to a (dictatorial) presidential republic, etc. When it comes to government, it is a wildcard - if it finds Directorate's policies agreeable, it might side with it against the Monday's Bloc's opposition, but if Directorate's policies are opposed to Pact's opinions, it might band up in a coalition with the Monday's Bloc. If it would end up winning, internal splits would most likely begin when it would have its power secured, as each faction would struggle to be the dominant one. It also has a high probability of Pact's fall and split into multiple parties, however.
Karakalpak People's Party
Seats in Senate: 2/100
Seats in Legislative Chamber: 6/150
A party formed in 1995, which claims to be the successor of the banned Communist Party of Karakalpakstan, and also largely consists from the leadership and the figures of the old party. It claims to be ''far-left'' politically, and in its program it has stated somewhat similar goals to QKHP in Kazakhstan: ''integration within CIS, expansion of social security, rolling back some of the privatizations, further international cooperation'', etc, with an ultimate goal being an establishment of ''People's Republic''. While its leader's official stance on matter of democracy is further democratization, many of Karakalpakstan's people are still suspicious of its actual motives, for a good reason - its predecessor was heavily involved in the repressive apparatus of Soviet Union, which also targeted Karakalpak activists. Not only that, but several of its members have expressed authoritarian viewpoints - some in private talks, while others in public. Anyways, it hasn't got much seats in both houses, and is not that popular in any part of Karakalpak society (Also, it's membership is aging quickly, and the median age is around 50, due of not having enough fresh blood from newer generations). A lot of left wing parties and groups from other countries have turned their backs on them as well, because in practice the KPP has acted more like a supporter of the Directorate and its policies, in order to not get banned again. So, if election results wouldn't certainly give majority to one side, KKP would most likely side with Directorate (Which is ironic, considering that its predecessor was one of Directorate's enemies).
Communist Party of Karakalpakstan
Founded: 1925
Banned: 1992
It was formed with the creation of Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast in 1925 (It was disestablished in 1932, and replaced with Karakalpak ASSR which was joined to Uzbek SSR in 1936). For most of its existence, CPK was aligned with the Soviet Union and the viewpoints of its leaders, although some of its members didn't entirely agree with the Soviet platform. Nonetheless, it was one of the main enemies of the various Karakalpak movements, including the Directorate. The active participation in suppression of the Directorate, along with arresting and targeting dissenters, led to the CPK starting to lose approval from citizens, and this number increased as time went on. CPK loosened the repressions a bit in 1990, as if the First Secretary of it had realized that he was fighting a losing fight and it was all over. CPK was banned by the Directorate in 1992, but any meaningful activity of it had already stopped months prior due of losing aid from Soviet Union. After Karakalpakstan gained independence, several most prominent CPK members were arrested. Some faded away from the political spotlight, while others continued to participate in politics, just under different flags.
Alliance for Tradition and Family
Founded: 2007
Banned: 2014
A traditionalist party with economic protectionist policies, and one of its goals being the further revitalization of religion, particularly in the government. It was suspected to have ties to the Pan-Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (One of the Directorate's main enemies), and it was also one of major points of accusations against it, although its leadership never confirmed that. Its formation happened during the period of Financial crisis of 2007-2008, although some think that underground cells might have existed years before that. Although ATF operated illegally due of the Directorate's ban on such parties as a way of fighting against Islamic fundamentalism, it still gained significant traction in the society due of a well-organized structure, and that it provided relatively easy answers for the socio-economical problems. ATF was one of the parties which participated in the June Protests of 2009, and its activity was legalized following the reforms of Directorate in the aftermath. It didn't get too much seats in the emergency election of 2009, but in the elections in early 2014 it scored 6 seats in senate, and 14 in Legislative Chamber. However, those would turn out to be its last elections, as in the same year the Islamic State made major advances against Iraqi forces, and concerns about the spread of terrorism and radicalism in Karakalpakstan and Central Asia were on the tables of Directorate again, and the International Representative Orak Vaganzi announced in radio, that ''ATF can't be trusted, and is a source of concern''. A few days later, Karakalpak State Security Service committed mass arrests and raids in the headquarters of ATF in Nukus, Turtkul, Chimbay, Mangit, and other major cities of Karakalpakstan. In the December of 2014, The Karakalpak Ministry of Justice dismantled the ATF in a court hearing. It was said that some of the ATF members which were arrested were later on sent to work on cotton fields and other farmland, while several others remained imprisoned.
Karakalpak Green Party
Founded: 2008
Merged with Monday's Bloc: 2018
One of the democratic parties which's roots could be traced back to underground groups in early 2000s which opposes the Directorate's authoritarianism and extensive permits. Directorate thought that the division between opposition would turn out to be too high to meaningfully cooperate, thus allowing it easier to secure its more dictatorial power, but it was proved wrong in the June Protests of 2009, when the various groups showed surprising unity, thus bringing some change. But despite the cooperation of KGP and Monday's Bloc during those pivotal events, and strong ties at the beginning, later it became clear that a competition had started between the two, as they both sought to be the bloc to secure the votes of more liberal voters. Some of the talking points and most tense disagreements between the two were on matters of economics, nationalism, extent of militarism, and environmentalism. The Green Party's leader was also said to be a follower of Deep Ecology - an environmental philosophy by Arne Næss, which advocates for restructuring of modern human societies. Still, Green Party was overall a left-wing party, advocating something similar to Nordic Model, although adjusted to the circumstances which Karakalpakstan faces. For a while, the strength of KGP and Monday's Bloc was similar, but later on the KGP's popularity shrank due of corruption scandals, and unpopularity of some of its ministers. In elections of 2014, it got only 8 Senate seats, and 20 Legislative Chamber seats, and less than a half of popular vote if compared to poll results. In late 2016, its leader had to resign due of health issues, and new leadership sought to move closer to Monday's Bloc. Later on it started the process of merging together, which was completed in 2018 in anticipation of pooling the forces together in next elections. By then, KGP had little chance, with approval in surveys decreasing, and Monday's Bloc solidifying itself as a coalition of democratic-minded forces.
Hydroelectric power from the station on Amu Darya river provides an important share of Karakalpakstan's electricity, and is important to the region. Considering Aral Sea's status in this timeline, Karakalpakstan is still dependent on fisheries, and a bad fishing season could put hard times ahead for several fishers and fishing towns, villages, cities. However, harvest of crops like melons, rice, cotton, and others makes up a large section of Karakalpakstan's economy as well - the cotton in particular is a cash crop, and although Karakalpakstan might not have as large cotton fields, or face the same problem of forced labor (including sending schoolchildren and teachers to harvest) or quotas, parents sending their children to work on fields during summer is not that unusual, considering how much money products like cotton carpets with traditional symbols bring. Also, unlike in OTL, the various oases, forests, farms, and other vital places aren't being poisoned by wind-borne salts, pesticides and fertilizers from the bed of Aral Sea, due of the recovery program being started when a lot more water had been left (It still hasn't recovered to its maximum size, though). The fewer cases of
anemia, respiratory diseases, and other illnesses means that more of Karakalpakstan's population of working age is healthier. However, the global climate change and temperature changes are likely to still have an effect on Aral Sea's recovery project, perhaps even putting it in jeopardy if current trends of temperature rising continue.Although more ''traditional'' economics based on smelters, agriculture, and others are still important, Karakalpakstan has tried to attract tourists as well, with one of the sightseeing objects being the Aral Sea itself, and its restoration process - the guides show various dams and tell a short history about the region. For countryside tourism, Ustyurt Plateau is on the table as well. The semi-nomads and various artisans also sell carvings, carpets, and other traditional souvenirs for both locals and tourists, although it obviously doesn't generate the most money. While the cities have tried keeping up with the time, the city majors have stated, that ''they don't want them turning into typical tourist-filled places, but rather keep their unique charm, and bring those who do actually care of local traditions''. At the same time, Directorate has also promoted development of technologies, encouraged the youths to study STEM subjects, particularly engineering and mathematics, in order to be able to compete with the demands of the new world. In words of Orak Vaganzi, ''The time of Closed Anocracy is gone to never return again. 21st century has new challenges''. Although humanities for now have been pushed aside, several political experts say, that ''those could become relevant again in Karakalpakstan in upcoming decades''. It also sometimes manufactures vehicles for export, and stimulates economy by mining, valuable resources. For infrastructure, Karakalpakstan's nationalized public transport company has received funding for railways and buses.
While Karakalpakstan has gradually moved towards a more market approach, the economy still could be partially described as ''command economy'', and the interventionist policies in economic generally make it as not the top place to invest in. The Directorate has also passed policies in attempt to cut inflation and budget deficit. Banking sector is mostly in the hands of state, and is sustained by the recent economical growth, although foreign observers have pointed out several risks in the economy in case of crisis (some of them being foreign exchange constraints). The progressive income tax of Karakalpakstan is sometimes viewed as ''downgrade'' from the different tax model under command economy in the past, and similarly to other Central Asian countries, the purchase power and parity levels aren't too different - for example, at the moment of independence, one Karakalpak Som was exchanged for 1 U.S. dollar, but in 2006, 1 U.S. dollar's exchange rate was already 900 Karakalpak Soms. Money changers often operate near ''bazars'' - large farmer markets. Similarly to its eastern neighbor, officially unemployment is reported to be very low, while underemployment is a lot more serious issue, particularly in agricultural sector. However, tax collection rates remain high due of usage of banking system as tax collection agency, and for this reason several Monday's Bloc members have advocated for lower tax rate. Also, despite efforts of trying to clamp down on shadow economy and black market, those two problems still pervade the country, and has a ''zig-zag'' tendency to fall and rise again.
While literacy is universal, and most of workers are trained well in their fields, the technical training not always meets international standards, although the companies located there report, that ''local workers become efficient quickly and are hardworking''. Directorate also uses global opportunities by encouraging students to get degrees in foreign universities, and then return with the foreign knowledge, and most of them do return - some out of patriotism towards the country of birth, but some out of seeing an opportunity in helping with the development of the country. Still, by western standards the salaries are quite low, and despite happening slowly, several people have started looking into job opportunities in foreign countries, which Directorate is trying to slow down. Salary caps, along with labor market regulations are similar to those of partial command economy as well. Directorate has given aid to small businesses and start-ups, while also planning to set up special economical zones once more contacts are established. The relations between trade unions and government haven't been the best since the newest privatization goals were revealed, and a lot of union members are concerned about the further growth of income inequality between rich and poor.
Irrigation based agriculture still contributes heavily to the Republic in this timeline
However, mining industry is also starting kicking strong
(Credit for a lot of information goes to
Karakalpak.com) Traditionally yurt frames were made in small workshops, and the profession was also passed down in family, but the workshops were nationalized under Soviet rule. Although the Directorate allowed private workshops again during the privatization series, it still kept some parts of it nationalized. Some of things like tent bands weren't made in workshops, but in home - the tent bands not only support the frame of the yurt, but also function as decorations. Nowadays most of yurts also have a more modern interior in them, like modern kitchen, electricity supply, radio, or even solar panels similarly to Mongolian yurts. The process of building a yurt is surrounded by various rites, customs, and even superstitions, although a lot has been forgotten over the decades due of Sovietization campaigns. However, the Directorate has managed to reconstructed some of those rites through stories of elders, and some of them are even used for the recently built yurts in Karakalpak Republic. Although Karakalpak yurts have similarities to those in neighboring countries, there are a few distinct features like the cone-shaped roof and the roof wheel, along with the trellis wall - in comparison, Karakalpak yurts are lighter than Aral Uzbek ones, because if compared to semi-nomadic Karakalpaks, Uzbeks were settled. A fully-decorated yurt is distinctive from far-away, and shows off the Karakalpak folk art. The yurts of fishermen in northern part of Aral Delta are usually made out of reed due of the wide availability of the material (Also, more endemic species of both plants and animals are still around, due of salinization not having as heavy toll).Nowadays most of Karakalpak Republic's citizens wear modern western-style clothing like jackets, tracksuit bottoms, t-shirts, etc, with traditional clothing and accessories being seen fragmentary, largely in rural areas or in ceremonial events. However, older men in Karakalpakstan can be frequently seen wearing headwear like skullcap and papakha hat, or a long-sleeved coat like shapan. Another traditional overcoat is bulky, made out of sheepskin. A small cloth bag lined with printed cotton is an another part of traditional outfit. Jewellery items like earrings, bracelets, and others were an important part for attire of Karakalpak women in all levels of society. Another important part of the woman's costume was a long-sleeved tunic, with geometric cross-stich decorations. However, one headdress in particular was very expensive and rare, containing materials such as semi-precious stones, and thus being mostly used by tribal aristocracy - despite its importance to culture, very few of them are around even in this timeline. Still, the Karakalpak outfit in 19th and 20th century was pretty traditionalist, and even nowadays the preferred style is relatively prude and conservative.
The division of tribes and clans to an extent is still lingering in Karakalpak Republic, and has even regained significance a bit after the independence. As a whole they are divided in two divisions - On To'rt Urıw and the Qon'ırat. The first division consists from four tribes, while second consists of two sub-groups (From those sub-groups one is further divided in eight tribes, and 63 clans, while the second has just 7 clans). Tribes of On To'rt Urıw are divided in clans as well, with 37 clans in total. The Aral Uzbeks which lived in the Aral Delta during the arrival of Karakalpaks are included in this system as well. Similarly to Oroqen people, Karakalpak clans practice exogamy, and matrimonial alliances are important. Although some titles like Bey still exist in some cases, they are largely ceremonial in terms of power if compared to central government (Although once there was a curious case when one of the Beys refused to comply with government authority, especially on tax, and tried to pay with Bukharan Tengas - the old currency of Bukhara not used since 1920). The lifestyle of those groups was also different - Qon'ırat specialized with livestock (mainly large cattle), while the other group specialized in irrigated agriculture, but this division isn't rigid as those with livestock sometimes practiced agriculture as well, and vice versa. Some also relied (and still rely) largely on fishing, although the limits on fishing quotas has caused more intense competition.
One of the most important festivals is Nowruz - the start of Persian new year, meaning ''new day'', or ''new time''. Another important event for the semi-nomads is the migration from winter settlements to summer pastures. Several folk festivals with traditional musicians, storytellers, and other important persons are organized as well, and street vendors can often be seen selling various foods and snacks. Although Directorate has envisioned Karakalpak Republic as a ''secular state'', several religious holidays are celebrated as cultural events, despite the poverty still being an issue. However, despite the traditions surviving, folk tales from elders, along with a stronger nationalistic element and attempts to restore the festivals and events unique to the country by putting them in calendar, detailed evidence about festivals is still lacking, and over the centuries a lot of details have been lost or changed due of enforced campaigns of colonial powers (Karakalpakstan didn't get the most damage from USSR's repressions due of it being far away from central attention, but it was still impacted under Stalin's rule). Although festivals like Nowruz were banned under Soviet rule, they still were celebrated annually, although some customs of festivals changed over time. During times of USSR, there were several Soviet-themed holidays in the ASSR, but most of them have been swept away after the decommunization, asides from few like Teacher's Day. Several memorials of WW2 are still around in Karakalpak Republic as a tribute to Karakalpak soldiers which died during WW2. However, a lot of the monuments nowadays are also of more Karakalpak nature, like Berdachi statue or the statue of Ájiniyaz Qosıbay ulı - a Karakalpak poet.
Despite not being as poor as IRL, a significant portion of people still are facing harsh poverty. Bazaars and town/village markets are usually the most important place of shopping, and if compared to Uzbekistan, large shopping malls haven't really taken off. There are also small shops and kiosks which offer processed foods. As for food, Karakalpak diet is full with carbohydrates, and large parts of it consist from products like pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. Cheese, chicken, and other meats are even more expensive, and even in cities they aren't regularly seen on tables of an average family. However, there is a wide variety of vegetables&fruits available in markets, with some of them being watermelons, onions, beetroot, grapes, cherries, etc. Overall, Karakalpak cuisine is somewhat similar to other Central Asian cuisines, yet also different - the staple flood is plov, along with shashlik. Manti are large, seasoned dumplings with chopped meat, while langman is a tasty noodle soup, etc. However, sweet desserts like halva are pretty rare (But in recent years the sortiment of things like fizzled drinks has increased, meaning that import desserts are becoming a bigger thing).
Ever since independence, Karakalpakstan's own movies and movie industries have been able to operate more freely, with mixed results, because while a lot of local movies can't really compete with movies from other countries, the land still has stories to tell which are no less interesting. Despite the Soviet past generally not being remembered fondly, several of its movies still are popular - some of them include Kin-Dza-Dza, Diamond Arm, Come and See, and Treasure Island. However, there were several mediocre movies from that period as well, so most of newer generation critics don't look with the same nostalgia glasses. Here's an another tidbit - unlike Uzbekistan which uses Latin alphabet for its language (Although usage of Cyrillic is still widespread in Uzbekistan), Karakalpakstan is still using the Cyrillic for its language. Directorate argues, that ''there are more pressing matters at hand than a switch of writing system'', and no funds for it have been found so far. However, discussions about change of alphabet recently have appeared more and more, for the same reason as Kazakhstan is switching its alphabet. Karakalpak language is also the closest to Kazakh language.
Still, perhaps one of the greatest things are the hospitality of families, which is found across the rest of Central Asia - despite the tension caused by events of past decades, most of people will happily welcome a visitor from both close and far, even if unannounced. In such way, both sides can exchange with information. The community and family ties remain strong, even in the cities, with multiple generations of a single family living under one roof, and visits from extended family. In countryside villages, those ties are even stronger. Family members are brought up to respect each other and take responsibility of each other, because even with social security in place, each family has to take care of itself. And Directorate's endorsement of this is not only because of cultural, but social-economic reasons. Overall, the lifestyle is still regarded as conservative.
Frame of a traditional Karakalpak Yurt
Karakalpak folk musicians with traditional instruments
Karakalpak Armed Forces were formed in 1992, when the Turkestan Military District was finally dissolved, and the troops were distributed between the 6 new countries in Central Asia. If compared to countries like Kazakhstan, Karakalpakstan got the short end of the stick in terms of units, bases, divisions, and equipment, but it still spent a considerable amount of money to improve its armed forces. Until the June Protests and ensuing reforms in 2009, Karakalpakstan had conscription, but since then it has mostly switched to professional volunteer army, and has reserved conscription only for situations like being at war (Age for both volunteering and conscription is 18). For comparison, Karakalpakstan had almost 20,000 soldiers in 2006, but in 2014 that number had decreased to 12,000 (Which is still just a bit below 1%, which shows that there are those who want to enlist). The Ministry of Defense knew that it couldn't outnumber a possible invader force, so it focused on outperforming the enemy with professional soldiers instead (As of 2020 it is more adequate, although less numerous than Uzbek army, due of the less erratic efforts and more successes in modernizing). Karakalpakstan's spending on its military is about 2% from the GDP, and military police is counted under military as well. Its colors are gold and blue, and the day of establishment of Karakalpak army is also a national holiday. While a sizeable amount of the equipment of Karakalpakstan still comes from Soviet times (SVD, BMP-2, T-80, RPG-7, Tochka, BTR-80, etc), it has made an active effort to replace both the old soviet rifles and vehicles with more modern stuff. However, progress in command structure is more sluggish, as the old soviet mentality of senior commanders giving strict orders with little freedom of decision persists, and the newer recruits are still treated horribly in military hierarchy, also known as dedovshchina. Internal Troops, Security Service, and National Guard are affiliated with Karakalpak army as well, sometimes even blurring the line between them.
Until 2014, Karakalpakstan got most of its newest aircraft and advisors from Russia, but after it started gradually moving away from the Bear, it has balanced between Chinese and American aircraft (Karakalpakstan's industry isn't strong enough to produce military aircraft on its own, and is capable of producing only rifles and some ground vehicles like tanks in long term). In order to save fuel, Karakalpak pilots annually receive about 80 hour training at most, and it is done in the L-39 Albatros training jets. Karakalpakstan's airforce consists of about 800 people, but there are a few Russian pilots dislocated in airbases as a reserve. Karakalpakstan has more helicopters and transport aircraft than combat aircraft, but the main fighter jet is Sukhoi Su-25. From American tech, Karakalpakstan has Bell UH-1 Iroquois, but from Chinese - the transport aircraft Xian Y-7.
As Karakalpakstan is landlocked, navy obviously isn't its first priority. However, it does have a small fleet, from which all ships are stationed in the Aral Sea. Some of them are Soviet leftovers, while others are bought from foreign countries like Kazakhstan, Russia, or USA. It has about 1,000 sailors, and although Mo'ynoq still hasn't regained the port status, the headquarters of Karakalpak navy are located there in anticipation of the return of the Aral Sea in its full size. While most of its navy consists from stuff like patrol boats, minesweepers, and missile boats, it has a few Troopships as well, with the primary purpose of transporting soldiers and/or members of the Directorate over Aral Sea to friendly ports like Aralsk in case if an invasion from south or east would overwhelm Karakalpak military, and would result in loss of the capital. In such case, Directorate could still function as government in exile. However, the troopships could also be used in attack to shell enemy positions at coastal cities. In peacetime, Karakalpak navy's main tasks are lifeguarding, patrolling the sea borders, and regulating the fishers and fishing companies in Aral to avoid overfishing (Such measures were enforced in 2000s to help the recovery of Aral Sea's fish population and ecosystem).
Karakalpak Army has also been involved in outside conflicts multiple times - one of the earlier examples comes from 1993, when Karakalpakstan's army sent an observer unit to Gorno-Badakhshan, because Directorate saw similarities in their declaration of independence with Directorate's struggle for Karakalpakstan. The unit was commanded by General Kunsuluu (''Beautiful Sun'' in Karakalpak), one of the first female Generals of Karakalpak military. The unit was involved in clashes with warlords like Tolib Ayombekov, protecting the road of Khorog-Dushanbe (Not Khorog-Osh), and protecting Pamiri groups from attacks. The observer unit was recalled after Gorno-Badakhshan backed down from calls of independence, although Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region still kept ties with Karakalpakstan to this day (Later on, Karakalpak army would assist Aga Khan foundation with development of the region). Although Karakalpak Army didn't participate in invasion of Iraq, it later sent its peacekeeping force there, along with deploying a contingent in Afghanistan, which also remains there to this day. It has also participated in multiple military exercises overseas.
Karakalpak Navy patrols the damaged, but recovering Sea
A member of Internal Troops at military exercises
Although projects to save the Aral Sea had started a few years after independence, reversing the damage which had been done is a long process, and the first results of the recovery projects could be seen after years of hard work, which means that Aral Sea still was shrinking when the project was started, and the lack of visible change years later led some of the more impatient to believe that the project was ''a waste of money'' (To be fair, it cost, and still costs a lot to the Directorate, and without foreign aid it most likely wouldn't have been able to continue it). Also, damage had already been done to the fisheries and various families during soviet era, with several villages being evacuated as the water levels fell, and most of the large ships were already stranded on the parts of dried-up seabed, so even when the Aral will be restored to its full size after decades, it will take another couple of decades to repair the damage to the fishing fleet and villages along the coast of Aral. Karakalpak authorities rejected the idea of diverting the rivers of Ob and
Irtysh to flow in Aral Sea, saying that ''We don't need to screw up another place to save a different one, and we just want the normal balance to return'' (Another concern was the degradation of the underground waters of Tian Shan mountains). Still, the Aral Sea and the delta of Amu Darya provides home for a lot of fish, bird, mammal, and plant species (Sturgeon, sabrefish, carp, bream, flamingos, saigas, goats, hummingbirds, etc). Aral Sea is the seed of life for all of Karakalpak Republic, and most of Karakalpakstan's population lives around Amu Darya, where river can sustain crops. In the late years, Karakalpakstan's population has started to concentrate more in cities, and similar urbanization trends like elsewhere can be seen, although the percentage of people in countryside is still huge as well (It also serves as a summer resort for those who have second homes there, because the cities are often said to be looking depressive with the Soviet architecture and grey/faded nature).Karakalpakstan is located in Turan Depression - a low-lying desert basin. In south, there's Karakum desert, Kyzylkum desert in northeast taking up most of the country, but in the west - Ustyurt Plateau. Kyzylkum has mostly dunes and clay coatings, and Ustyurt is a rocky plateau all the way to Caspian Sea. However, despite all of that, there is still life in those places: in Kyzlkum, there are tortoises, desert monitors (lizards), deers, kulans, bustards, while in Ustyurt the rare Ustyurt Mountain sheep can be found. Also, there are still settlements and other towns in those lands (Most notable one being Jasliq). A railway line runs through Ustyurt plateau, which connects Aktau (Kazakhstan) with Tashkent, and it is planned to extend the railway to Moʻynoq at some point. (On a different note, Kantubek on Vozrozhdeniya Island was still abandoned in this timeline, because it mostly housed the Soviet scientists which researched biological weapons there. It is sometimes described as ''lone ruins on an island in the middle of a lake'', because Vozrozhdeniya is still an island in this timeline.)
Aral Sea's recovery means, that it still functions like a thermostat, as it makes the summers less hot, but winters - less cold (IRL, temperatures of the region have become more extreme by 10 degrees after Aral dried out). Of course, further inland temperatures are still more extreme, but it is not like all of Karakalpakstan would fall under the BWk category in Köppen climate classification (Cold desert, basically a desert with dry, hot summers, but cold winters, albeit little snow, and a lot more drier than hot desert climate). The desert regions are also known to contain gold, uranium, natural gas, silver, and other valuable resources. Some of Karakalpakstan's industrial enterprise, mining and gas-production centers work with resources from there. They have a great potential to further enrich the region, but Karakalpakstan still struggles due of the underdevelopment of the region. As Kyzylkum has yielded multiple fossils from dinosaur times, it is assumed that Karakalpak Republic has some fossils underground as well, although the exact amount is not known. Kyzylkum is also used as pasture for lifestock, and In Ustyurt Plateau, the semi-nomadic peoples raise camels and other cattle.
The Karakalpak side of Ustyurt Plateau
Karakalpakstan during winter season
Original template by The brytish isles. Template is found
here.
