The Western IslesBoard

Pratara

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The Prataran State, or the State of Pratara, commonly referred to as Pratara, is a corporatist one-party dictatorship under a semi-constitutional theocratic monarchy located in The Western Isles. Pratara is bordered by Almorea to the southeast, New totzka to the South, and Nhoor to the Southwest. Pratara covers LAND AREA square kilometers and has has an estimated population of 29 million. Pratara is comprised of ten provinces, one semi-autonomous territory, and four direct-controlled municipalities.

Environmentally, Pratara is a large archipelago consisting of 3 main islands and 6 small islands situated in the North Mesder Sea to the north of Raedlon. The highest point is Mount José, in the TBD region, at 2,876 metres above sea level. The capital, Méridia, is on the TBD coast of TBD. Pratara has a total area of TBD square kilometres with TBD square kilometres of land and TBD square kilometres of water. Pratara has an Exclusive Economic Zone of TBD.

The sole political party in Pratara is the "National Union of Carlists, Fascists, and Corporatists", NUCFC, or commonly referred to as just the National Union. The NUCFC membership is mostly drawn from local notables: conservative landowners, professionals and businessmen most of them Catholics, or monarchists. The NUCFC are tasked with the formation of laws or policies in the National Council, but can not pass or implement them until both the King and Caudillo give approval. The militant arm of the party is known as the Grey Shirts.

The Armed Forces of the Prataran State is the military armed forces of the State of Pratara and of its founding and ruling political party, the National Union of Carlist’s, Fascist’s, and Corporatist’s, NUCFC. The Armed Forces consist of three branches: the Imperial Army, Imperial Air Force, and the Imperial Armada. The Royal Guard, Kingdom’s Guard, and the National Coast Guard all also have official military status as apart of the National Guard Service.

The Armed Forces are under the dual command of the King and Caudillo. The NUCFC also have minimal power over military advisory and command roles. The Armed Forces is legally obliged to follow the principle of civilian control of the military, although in practical terms this principle has been implemented in such a way as to ensure the Armed Forces are under the absolute control of the King, Caudillo, and the NUCFC . In times of national emergency, the Kingdom's Guard and the National Coast Guard act as a reserve and support element for the Armed Forces.

Etymology
Pratara in Portuguese means "(made) of silver, silver coloured". The reason for this is that the archipelago was first settled by the Portuguese, who established many merchant cities along the coast that notably had silver lined walls to display their vast riches.

The reason for the name is the repeated mention of large amounts of silver that was found in the José Mountains by multiple historical writings; which promised every settler to the islands to be guaranteed riches beyond imagine.

The standard way to refer to a citizen of Pratara is as a "Prataran."

History

Pre Colonial
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Colonial Period
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First Kingdom of Pratara
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Civil War and Aftermath
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Second Civil War and Pandemic
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Pandemic of 1932
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NUCFC Coup
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Contemporary
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Geography
Pratara has a total of twelve islands extending along Raedlon’s northern coast. The two main islands, biggest to smallest, are Pratara Major and Pratara Minor. Together, along with the ten smaller islands, the area is known as the Prataran archipelago. Pratara’s territory has a total of TBD km2. Pratara is one of the largest island countries in the Isles and the largest island country in the Argean Sea, with a coastline of TBD km, but doesn't have land borders.

About 73 percent of Pratara is forested, mountainous and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial or residential use. As a result, the habitable zones, mainly located in coastal areas, have extremely high population densities. Pratara is one of the most densely populated countries in the The Western Isles at 209.4 people per km2.

Climate
Pratara has a combination of a tropical climate and an oceanic climate, with only 2 distinct seasons. Most of Pratara is classified as being a humid tropical climate within the Köppen climate classification scheme, with hot wet summers and cold wet winters. Although there is never any snow, it does rain quite substantially year round.

The winter brings bitter cold and clear weather interspersed with rain and brisk air. The daily average high and low temperatures for Méridia in January are 12 and 5 °C respectively. On average, it rains thirty-seven days during the winter. Winter can be particularly harsh in the northern, mountainous regions.

Summer tends to be long, hot, humid, and rainy because of the southern and southeastern monsoon winds that bring moist air from the TBD Sea. The daily average high and low temperatures for Méridia in June are 35 and 23 °C.

On average, approximately 60% of all precipitation occurs from June to September. Natural hazards include late spring droughts which are often followed by severe flooding. Typhoons affect the archipelago on an average of at least once every summer or early autumn. The drought of June 2015, according to the Prataran Central News Agency, was the worst seen in over 100 years.

Biodiversity
Pratara has nine forest ecoregions which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the southern islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold, winter portions of the northern regions. Pratara has over 90,000 species of wildlife, including the brown bear, the Lear's macaw, the Prataran macaque, the Prataran raccoon dog, Prataran giant hornet, the large Prataran field mouse, and the Prataran giant salamander. A large network of national parks has been established to protect important areas of flora and fauna as well as 37 wetland sites.

Demographics

Health
The constitution of Pratara guarantees equal, free and universal health care for all its citizens. Because of this, Pratara has universal health care under the Universal Health Insurance system. Under this system, all residents registered with the Social Security Institution (SSI) can receive medical treatment free of charge in hospitals.

With an estimated population of 29.9 billion, the average life expectancy for males is 75.7, and 79.2 for females.

Education
Education is universal and mandatory through to the secondary level and the adult literacy rate is 93.6%.

Education consists of three main phases: primary education (forms 1–4), basic general education (forms 5–9) and senior level education (forms 10–11 or 12) divided into continued general education and vocational education. Vocational Education usually lasts 3 or 4 years. (Primary education is preceded by one year of preschool education.) These levels can be followed in one institution or in different ones. Recently, several secondary schools, specialised schools, linguistic and technical schools have been founded. Secondary professional education is offered in special professional or technical schools or colleges and vocational schools.

At present, there are universities, academies and institutes for higher education. There are three main levels: basic higher education that provides the fundamentals of the chosen field of study and leads to the award of the Bachelor's degree; specialised higher education after which students are awarded the Specialist's Diploma; and scientific-pedagogical higher education which leads to the Master's Degree. Postgraduate education leads to the Candidate of Sciences and the Doctor of Sciences (PhD.).

Language
Portuguese is the national language spoken by the vast majority of the population. Prataran Portuguese is the set of varieties of the language spoken in the country, which differs from one region to another phonetically, syntactically and lexically.

English is widely spoken as second language, and is spoken in many business settings, but government and legal institutions use Prataran Portuguese as the sole language as the government attempts to suppress all other languages.

Religion
92% of the population is Roman Catholic. The other 8% of Pratarans are irreligious (2% atheist/agnostic and 6% indifferent). All other religions are banned and outlawed in Pratara by direct order of the King.

Largest Cities

Rank	City	Metro area population	Province
1	Méridia	3.2 Million	Catarina
2	Catalon	2.5 Million	Veracruz
3	San Andrés	2.3 Million	Ceará
4	Valencia	2.3 Million	Barcelos
5	São Luís	2.1 Million	Sonora
6	Tavira	2 Million	Covilhã
7	Jacareí	1.7 Million	Bahia
8	Canoas	1.5 Million	Faro
9	Évora	1.3 Million	Pará
10	Sorocaba	1.1 Million	Paredes
11	Santos	1.1 Million	Chacoa
12	Barcelos	1 Million	Paraná

Major Towns

Culture

Visual Arts
Prataran visual art emerged in the late 16th century, influenced by the Baroque style imported from Portugal. Until the beginning of the 19th century, that style was the dominant school of painting in Pratara, flourishing across the whole of the settled territories, mainly along the coast but also in important inland centres. Major painters in this period were TBD,TBD,TBD, and TBD.

Prataran art is gaining prominence among the Isles. Initially dominated by religious motifs, it began emphasizing historical and heroic representations in the late nineteenth century inspired by a surge of nationalism following the civil war.

Architecture

The architecture of Pratara is especially influenced by Portugal. It has a history that goes back 500 years to the time when TBD discovered Pratara in 1489. Portuguese colonial architecture was the first wave of architecture to go to Pratara. It is the basis for all Prataran architecture of later centuries. In the 16th century Pratara followed international trends and adopted Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. Then in the 20th century, especially in Méridia, Pratara experimented with Modernist architecture.

The colonial architecture of Pratara dates to the early 16th century when Pratara was first explored, conquered and settled by the Portuguese. The Portuguese built architecture familiar to them in their aim to colonize Pratara. They built Portuguese colonial architecture which included churches, civic architecture including houses and forts in Prataran cities and the countryside. This was usually mixed with Prataran influences from their own heritage which produced a unique form of Prataran architecture.

Music
Tango is one of Pratara's international cultural symbols. The golden age of tango (1930 to mid-1950s) mirrored that of jazz and swing in other nations, featuring large orchestras. After 1955, many famous musical artists popularized Nuevo tango, a subtler and more intellectual trend for the genre. Tango enjoys Isle popularity nowadays.

Pratara developed strong classical music and dance scenes that gave rise to renowned artists, composers, violinists, pianists, and conductors.

Traditions & Festivities
There are many festivals in Pratara, which are celebrated annually. There are no specific festival days for all of Pratara; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays. Preparation for these processions is usually organised at the level of villages (neighborhoods).

Officially, Pratara has TBD national, government-recognized holidays. Public holidays in Pratara are regulated by the Public Holiday Law of 1989. Beginning in 2000, Pratara implemented the Happy Monday System, which moved a number of national holidays to Monday in order to obtain a long weekend.

The national holidays in Pratara are TBD.

Sports
Football is the most popular sport in Pratara. There are several football competitions ranging from local amateur to world-class professional level. Pratara has also achieved notable performances in sports like fencing, judo, kitesurf, rowing, sailing, surfing, shooting, MMA, triathlon, swimming, and windsurf. In water sports, Pratara has three major sports: swimming, water polo and surfing. Most recently, Pratara had success in canoeing. Pratara is also one of the Isles premier golf destinations.

Politics
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Carlism
The current political and economic system in Pratara known as "Carlism" named after King Carlos I. Carlism is characterized by: authoritarianism, Prataran nationalism, national Catholicism, monarchism, corporatism, clerical fascism, militarism, integralism, national conservatism, anti-communist, anti-democratic, and anti-liberal. The economic theory of Carlism supports a syndicalist and corporatist view on social revolution to create a national syndicalist economy that creates national syndicates of both employees and employers to mutually organize and control the economic activity. Agrarian reform, industrial expansion and respect for private property with the exception of nationalizing credit facilities to prevent capitalist usury are all also supported. Carlists declare that they are neither left nor right leaning.

National Union of Carlists, Fascists, and Corporatists
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Grey Shirts
The Grey Shirts official name is the Guardsmen of the National Union, though they are unambiguously referred to as the “Grey Shirts.” The Grey Shirts are the paramilitary wing of the NUCFC. Its members are distinguished by their grey uniforms (modelled on those of the TBD, an elite unit during the 1st Civil War) and their loyalty to José Reyes and Raúl Santiago, leaders of the NUCFC, to whom they swear an oath. The founders of the paramilitary units are nationalist intellectuals, retired soldiers/officers, and young wealthy Catholics. Their methods of maintaining political loyalty among the populace have begun to become harsher as the Prataran Liberation Front has begun to grow in numbers and power.

King
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Government Officials
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Legislature
The Legislature of Pratara is composed of three different bodies: the Imperial Council which serves as the King's cabinet/advisory board and gives advice on their respective departments, the Corporative Chamber which is lead by the Economic league and makes the economic policy of Pratara, and the National Council which is further divided into the Lower and Upper Council which makes and revises laws for the consideration of the King and Caudillo.

There is no Judiciary as the job of the interpretation of laws, policies, and the constitution is the sole job of the King and only the King, a rare difference of power between the King and Caudillo.

Imperial Council
The Imperial Council is the primary advisory board to the Monarch. The Lord Viceroy, currently Benito Hernández, is the head of the Imperial Council, and is the right hand man to the King as well as a personal and family friend. The Council is composed of TBD members, each with their own department of advisory.

Current Imperial Council
-Benito Hernández: Chief Advisor
-Victor Bastos: Department of Treasury & Finance
-Prince Arturo: Department of Foreign affairs
-Octávio Carreira: Department of War & Veteran Affairs
-Tito Paiva: Department of the Judiciary
-Sabina Abreu: Department of Health & Human Services
-Graça Vidal: Department of Education
-Sérgio Abril: Department of Science & Technology
-Lúcio Cunha: Department of (NUCFC) Party Affairs
-Miguel Santos: Department of Transportation, Labour & Industry
-Olívia Rosa: Department of Energy & Environment
-Ademir Fernandes: Department of Culture, Media & Sport

Corporative Chamber
The function of the Corporative Chamber is to represent the various economic, cultural, social, and other corporations. It is composed of members elected by the various types of Prataran corporations, including:
• Provinces and Municipalities
• Universities and Schools
• Economic League Representatives and Employers
• Social Welfare Organizations and Hospitals

The Corporative Chamber is the primary group that debates, decides, and consults Pratara's economic policy. Though they de jure have no actual power to create or implement economic policy or laws, the King and Caudillo have given them de facto power over most issues as both the King and Caudillo trust the chamber to decide in Pratara's best interests.

Economic League
The Economic League is a collective assembly of the trade unions in Pratara created by King Carlos II to nationalize all independent trade unions into one government-operated syndicate, mandating union membership for every worker. Under the mandate, all the trade unions from each sector were merged into one mega union for their respective sector. From here, each union elects representatives to go to the Economic League to represent their industry sector collective opinions and beliefs on specific policies and issues of the Prataran economy. The representatives sent to the Economic League then further select one member from each industry sector to go to the Corporative Chamber to represent their entire industry sector on economic policy and issues.

The major trade unions include:
• Industrial and Agricultural Workers
• Seafarers
• Employers
• Industrial and Agricultural Technicians
• Private Bureaucrats and Administrators
• Teachers and Students
• Lawyers and Doctors
• Civil Servants
• Co-operative Workers
• Religious and Cultural Workers

Another task the Economic League have is to root out potential Communists, Socialists, or Capitalists in Pratara and alert the NUCFC of these suspects.

National Council
The National Council is composed of a Lower Council, and an Upper Council. The Lower Council is the sole creator of bills, while the Upper Council revise and veto bills. The Lower Council and the Upper Council usually meet separately.

As the sole Prataran legislature on non economic national policy, all laws are created in the Lower Council and revised by the Upper Council before they are vetoed or signed into law by the King and Caudillo. All bills must be considered by both the Upper Council and Lower Council. Upon adoption by a majority of the full Lower Council membership, a draft law is considered by the Upper Council, which has fourteen days to place the bill on its calendar. The Upper Council cannot create bills, but can only revise a bill to be sent back to the Lower Council for consideration. If the Lower Council rejects a revision or veto, the two chambers may form a conciliation commission to work out a compromise version of the legislation. If the two Councils cannot reach a compromise, or the Lower Council insists on passing the bill as is, the veto/revision of the Upper Council can be overridden, if two thirds of the Lower Councils members vote in favour of the bill.

Neither Council can actually implement a bill/policy as this is the sole duty of the King and Caudillo.

Foreign Relations
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Military
The Armed Forces of the Prataran State has three branches: the Imperial Army, Imperial Air Force, and the Imperial Armada. The Armed Forces maintains significant infrastructure, including facilities for design, research, and testing of weapons, vehicles, aircraft, naval vessels, defence systems and electronics; as well as military industry manufacturing centres for building such systems, and advanced naval dockyards that build heavy military vessels and advanced missile technologies.

In recent years, the Armed Forces have improved its training techniques, military command and information structures and has taken steps to becoming more self-reliant in supplying its military by designing as well as manufacturing its own arms, missiles, aircraft, vehicles, heavy weaponry, electronics, defence systems, armour, heavy military industrial equipment and heavy naval vessels. Since the early 2000's increasing importance has been placed on acquiring airborne surveillance platforms, aircraft, helicopters, digital war-fighting technologies, urban warfare equipment and rapid troop transport.

Pratara has a military nuclear weapons program and currently is estimated to have an arsenal of approximately 20–30 nuclear weapons. There is also substantial evidence that the Armed Forces have been developing and storing chemical weapons for military use. The amount of stored chemical weapons or their lethality is currently unknown, but it is assumed to be substantial.

The Armed Forces are split into different groups based on their region of operation. The Army is divided administratively into three tactical commands, each under the control of different Lieutenant Generals. The Air Force is divided into two operational and four functional commands. Each command is headed by an air officer commanding-in-chief with the rank of air marshal. The Armada operates three commands. Each command is headed by a flag officer commanding-in-chief with the rank of vice admiral.

The Armed Forces have three main tasks;
- To assert the territorial integrity of Pratara.
- To defend the country if attacked by a foreign nation.
- To defend the Kingdom, and the people there of.

Economy

Pratara is currently pursuing a strengthening policy of autarky with the exception of the silver trade which is nearly 35% of the economy. WIP

Infrastructure

Transport
Transport in Pratara is characterised by an extensive network of roads, railways, rapid transit, air routes, and ports. Major forms of transit generally radiate from the capital, Méridia, located in the southeast of the country, to link with the other major cities across Pratara.

Prataran transit is marked by a high degree of integration between its long distance railway system and inner-city metro systems.

Pratara’s highway system is highly developed, with both tolled and free motorways. The road system is mainly centralised, with six highways connecting Méridia to the Low Lands: Catalon, San Andrés, Valencia, São Luís, and Tavira. Additionally, there are highways along the Argean Sea (Sorocaba and Barcelos) and North Mesder Sea (Jacareí) coasts. Pratara aims to put one million electric cars on the road by 2025 as part of the government's plan to save energy and boost energy efficiency.

There are 47 public airports in Pratara. The busiest one is Caserono International Airport in Méridia, with 35 million passengers a year. The airport of Catalon (Os Kallina) is also important, with 27 million passengers. Other main airports are located in San Andrés (23 million passengers), Valencia (13 million passengers), São Luís (11 million passengers), Tavira (10 million passengers) and smaller, with the number of passengers between 4 and 10 million, for example Jacareí (two airports), Canoas, Évora, Sorocaba, Santos, and Barcelos. Also, there are more than 20 airports with the number of passengers below 4 million.

United Transit of Pratara
The United Transportation of Pratara, UTP, or commonly referred to as just United, is the nationalised conglomerate transportation company of Pratara. Responsible for the effective and profitable running and maintenance of the national public transit system of railroads, metros, monorails, ferries, busses, and taxi services.
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Energy
As required by the Economic League, the electricity sector is government owned, with the State Energy Commission essentially controlling the whole sector; private participation and foreign companies are allowed to operate in the country only through specific service contracts.

The electricity sector in Pratara relies heavily on thermal sources (75% of total installed capacity), followed by hydropower generation (19%). Although exploitation of solar, wind, and biomass resources has a large potential, geothermal energy is the only renewable source (excluding hydropower) with a significant contribution to the energy mix (2% of total generation capacity). Non-renewable energy sources used in Pratara are nuclear (4 operative reactors), gas, coal, and oil.