Overview (under review)

[Carthaginian]

The Confederate States of America



Conventional Short Form: Confederacy
Abbreviation: CSA
Nationality: Confederate(s)

Government Type: Constitution-based federal republic
Head of Government: President Joshua Clark
Capital: Richmond, Virginia

Location: North America, south of the United Kingdom of America and Rohan, north of the Democratic Republic of Mesoamerica
Geographic coordinates: 32 N, 98 W
Area: Approximately 3,600,000 sq. km (1,400,000 sq. mi)
Coastline: Approximately 9,500 km (5,600 mi)
Neighbours: United Kingdom of America, Democratic Republic of Mesoamerica, Rohan

Climate: Temperate to sub-tropical in east, with plains and desert lowlands in the interior, and a mountainous west with a rugged, temperate coastline prone to  earthquakes.

Terrain: Extensive plains, with high mountains with thin, rocky coast in west and lower mountains with broad, sandier coastline in east, large lowlands in interior.

Elevation Extremes: -86m to 4011m
Lowest Point: Death Valley (-86m)
Highest Point: Wheeler's Peak (4011m)

Natural Resources: Oil, iron ore, manganese, sulfur, phosphates, aluminum, lead, zinc, coal, tin, copper, silver

Natural Hazards: Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes

National Holiday: 12 June – Independence Day

Constitution: The current Constitution of the Confederate States of America was adopted 11 March 1861

Languages: Norman, Spanish

Legal System: Federal law based on Norman Common Law; individual states have separate legal systems based on this, but Louisiana also draws from French Civil Law

International Organization Participation: None

Flag Description:
"The flag of the Confederate States shall be as follows: A red field, charged with a white saltier, having in the center the device of a sun, in its glory, on an azure ground, the rays of the sun corresponding with the number of States composing the Confederacy."

Population:

State (Capital), Population
Alabama (Montgomery) 2,138,093
Arizona (Albuquerque) 531,655
Arkansas (Little Rock) 1,574,449
California (Mexicali) 120,272
Chihuahua (Chihuahua) 405,707
Coahuila (Saltillo) 362,092
Florida (Tallahassee) 752,619
Georgia (Atlanta) 2,609,121
Louisiana (Baton Rouge) 1,656,388
Mississippi (Jackson) 1,797,114
Missouri (St Louis) 3.293,225
North Carolina (Raleigh) 2,206,287
Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) 1,657,155
Nuevo Leon (Monterrey) 365,150
Sonora (Hermosillo) 265,383
South Carolina (Columbia) 1,515,400
Tamaulipas (Ciudad Victoria) 249,641
Tennessee (Nashville) 2,184,789
Texas (Houston) 3,896,542
Virginia (Richmond) 2,061,612

Total: 29,642,694

Dependent Areas: None

General Overview:

The CSA is a contradiction in terms- a federal republic with a confederation-type structure. Individual States retain a high degree of independence, managing their own affairs on virtually everything save defense and foreign relations. Everything can vary from state to state, and generally does: voting rights and requirements, race-related segregation laws, tax rates and even- in one case- the legal system. All these diverse and theoretically sovereign states are governed by a centralized Federal government, which serves as a united front for the Confederacy on the international stage. The Federal government of the CSA consists of a president elected every 6 years to a single term (executive branch); two houses of Congress, one with representation based on population and one with equal representation (legislative branch); and a Supreme Court which rules on the narrow scope of Federal Law.

Political parties play a strong role in Confederate politics, as do some non-political groups to which the officials might belong

The main parties are:
Democrats - seek a loose, confederation government; generally wealthy landowners; generally support Segregationist.
Republicans- seek a stronger, more republican government; generally wealthy businessmen; generally Integrationist in West, neutral in East.
Socialist- seek a strong, centralized, socialist government; generally working (or unemployed) poor, somewhat popular with Negroes for Integrationist stance, but Atheism clashes with Southern values system
Confederate- seek stronger, more uniform centralized government; desire elimination of Socialists; Integrationist due to strong military affiliation

Confederate culture prizes civil liberties and free enterprise, these institutions shaping the Confederacy as it is today. Although the liberal Western states allow the Negro population rights comparable to those of the whites, segregation and discrimination are facts of life in the ghettos of the East. Farming occurs on an industrial scale; cotton, beef and corn are the main crops, all requiring large workforces and large expanses of land. The country therefore has surprisingly low levels of industry for its' size, which is occasionally damaged by hurricanes. Employment rates are good, although the lower classes are just above the poverty line whilst the richest citizens are arguably the most powerful men in the country, living luxurious lifestyles. The arts are encouraged by several States, notably Louisiana, which offers free scholarships and tax breaks to what are described as 'talented performers, sculptors and painters who display the potential to lead the world'. Similarly, Georgia and Virginia - in the industrial heartland - often support promising scientists and engineers, a policy that has lead to new methods of synthesizing nitrogen compounds and separating crude oil. Historically, the CSA has been a marine and an equestrian center; almost all citizens are competent sailors or horsemen in the current society.

Given their near self-sufficiency, the Confederate States have little need or desire to intervene in the affairs of other countries. In general, though, the armed forces and diplomatic services will endeavor to dissuade any power from attempting to alter the status quo in the region, and the Federal government takes a hard line on smuggling and piracy.