Agrona
Home of Nideon's Softest Cotton
Agrona is a democratic nation on one of the larger islands off the coast of Ethion. It is well known for its beautiful and unusual flora, as well as its ethnic diversity, as Agrona is home to mermaids, sprites, and humans of several different cultures, including the earliest followers of the Xurugwi faith.
Structure
Agrona has three branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.
The leader of the executive branch is the president, who is elected by parliament and serves a four year term. Along with their cabinet, the president serves to enforce the laws and works as a diplomat to other nations. The president is chosen by parliament.
The legislative branch is led by a two house paliament. Members of the larger house, the House of the People, serve rotating terms, with half of the body being re-elected every four years. They are elected by citizens. Agrona has citizenship by birth, and all citizens of 17 years or more are required to vote. Members of the smaller house, the House of States, are elected by local legislatures, also in rotating four-year terms. The president also selects two non-voting members in each house.
The judicial branch is led by the supreme court, which oversees cases regarding national laws and feuds between regions. Below them are regional courts, which oversee cases regarding state laws and feuds between cities. Finally, below that are the local courts, which sometimes function differently from each other, as they may be affected by the dominant culture in the area.
Public Agenda
Agrona is currently building itself up to be a forerunner in science and technology development. Though there have been several breakthroughs from the nation in recent years in the fields of biology and anatomy, the poverty levels and political corruption continue to stunt the nation's growth, as well as its reputation in the eyes of potential allies.
Assets
As an island nation, fishing is very common in Agrona, though the nation also raises chickens. In addition, Agrona has a large tourist trade, interested in the beautiful beaches, the exotic cultures, and the colorful wildlife.
Socially, Agrona embraces diversity. The country is home to a multitude of ethniticies, religious beliefs, and languages, all of which are welcomed equally. Agrona has also been trying to put pressure on potential allies to support such diversity, such as Zenxon changing its laws that oppress sprites. Again, due to having limited power in the world, Agrona's efforts can only go so far.
Politically, Agrona is one of the nations that recognizes Antarand as its own entity, which puts strain on nearby Florarova to grant Antarand national sovereignty.
History
The first people to arrive in Agrona were people of the Bathblast and Fr'phe islands, in the 9th century. For two hundred years, the island culture was the dominant one in the area, though evidence shows that it evolved differently in Agrona than on the smaller islands. Agrona has a much larger Xurugwi following than on the smaller islands, which traces back to this time. Furthermore, the Xurugwi did not use the same caste system that is still seen in place in the Bathblast islands. Therefore, some people believe that that islanders who settled Agrona were outcasts or of a minority subgroup that left due to religious differences.
In the 11th century, the Snoiks people found their way to the island, in search of unique spices. First, they set up only trade routes with the islanders who lived there, but over time, some Snoiks people began to settle on the island. Many people think the Snoiks liked the island because the Scuukar River in Agrona reminded them of the Lee River in Snickerry. Nevertheless, the two groups remained relatively cordial, both having a distinct interest in the unusual ways of the other. As a result, Xurugwi foods on the island have been colored by Snoiks tradition, as Snoiks burial ritual have been colored by the Xurugwi.
Demography and Population
Home to sprites, elves, mermaids, ethites, islanders, snoiks, and others, Agrona is one of the most ethnically diverse nations on Nideon. All groups are provided equal protection under the law. The diversity of the nation can be seen in the symbolism of the flag. One corner is blue, representing the island nation and the "water people" including both mermaids and islanders. The other corner is green, representing the beautiful foliage and the "land people" who have also settled there, including sprites, elves, snoiks, elvish, and others from the southern continent. The white stripe in the center represents the unity of the land and the water, as well as the many different people who live in the nation.
Military
Agrona has a moderately sized navy, which often works in tandem with that of its neighboring countries. It has a small army which does not see much action.
Technological Level
Agrona has made several advances in biology research, but even technology that has been developed from this research is difficult to find in Agrona, especially in the more rural areas. Similar to infrastructure, the government in Agrona is trying to focus current technological development on things that will benefit lower classes to help close the socioeconomic gaps. While in the past, scientific research in Agrona led to development of technology in other countries, Agrona is pushing to develop that technology in its own borders, so it can export these items and build their economy. This is an additional reason it is trying to invest in more schools.
Religion
The largest religion in Agrona is Xurugwi, with the second most common being the Snoiks religion. Agrona is also the country with largest population that identifies solely as Calistian believers, though this is likely related to the high number of non-human races in Agrona. Of all the races, humans are the least likely to identify solely as Calistian believers. Agrona is not a site of the religions found on the Bathblast and Fr'phe Islands. It is unclear if this is because Xurugwi completely wiped those religions out or if they developed after Agrona was settled, though most believe it is the former, as the religions on the other islands are similar.
Foreign Relations
Agrona has been attempting to utilize it's power with Zenxon as a trade partner to advocate for sprite rights in the other nation. It also continues to oscillate in regard to whether it recognizes Antarand as a nation of its own or part of Florarova. This change tends to happen with each new elected president. Agrona has a strong relationship with Nefrale, however, likely due to both having such diverse populations.
Agriculture & Industry
Being on an island, Agrona has a large fishing industry, though not as great as either of its neighbors. There is also a decent sized chicken industry in the nation. Furthermore, Agrona has several plants which it fosters that are not found in most other areas of the world. Agrona's greatest interest, however, is in science and technology, particularly in regards to anatomy and biology.
Trade & Transport
While Agrona trades with its land neighbors, most of its trade is done via boat with northern islands, like Zenxon and Brek, as well as coastal nations on the minor and southern continents, such as Florarova, Xye, and Ethion. Agrona also has two transport stations, which are used to do trade with further nations, including Nefrale.
Education
Until recently, all schools in Agrona were private schools, and many children could not attend due to not having the money to do so. Recent presidents have been building more and more public schools, though there are still many children in rural areas who do not have a means to attend. There are many others who come from fishing families (or farming crops) and are needed to help the family around the house and so don't go to school. This has resulted in a large divide between Agrona's wealthy and educated population and its poor, uneducated population.
Infrastructure
Agrona is just beginning to modernize. It has been improving roads, as well as building schools, television towers, and two new transport stations. The nation's leaders hope this will help Agrona close socioeconomic gaps and gain the nation recognition from other countries. As is, they don't have roads that are more than 2 lanes, and many are poorly paved.
Many Skills, Many Virtues
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
Scukar
Demonym
Agronan
Leader
Government System
Democracy, Parliamentary
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Kachau
Major Exports
Agrona's main export is Agronan cotton--an incredibly soft variety of cotton made from a cotton species native to the southern islands.
Major Imports
Though Agrona has been known for scientific breakthroughs, it imports most of the technology it uses in its hospitals from elsewhere.
Notable Members
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