Magisteria

Magisteria (French: Magistère), officially the United Republic of Magisteria (French: République unie du Magistère), is a sovereign country situated on the Magisterian peninsula, the island of Frederick-Matsuoka, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 1,007,057 square kilometers (388,826 sq mi), Magisteria is the twenty-ninth largest country in the world ahead of Egypt and Tanzania and behind Mauritania and Bolivia. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with tropical beaches in the south, rainforests in the centre, and mountain ranges in the north-east.

Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Magisteria for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast, and went further to the east as they found the peninsula. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. Prior to 31 December 1900, democratic parliaments were gradually established through late-19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the Magisterian peninsula and other small islands and foundation of the Magisterian Commonwealth on 31 December 1900.

Since the beginning of the Magisterian Commonwealth, public opinion on republicanism was relatively high and the main republican political party, the Liberal Republican Party, came to national prominence by 1909 after their unlikely victory in the general election held in the same year. Republicanism saw a surge in popularity by 1944 thanks to the civil unrest caused by political instability and the 1941 economic recession. The government decided to hold a referendum in 1947, which would order the creation of a constitutional convention modeled after the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention to replace the commonwealth into a self-governing republic. The referendum was passed with 97.66 percent of the vote, and a month later, The Liberal Republican Party was the only party elected into the Constitutional Convention election. The constitution written by the convention was accepted by popular vote and went in effect on 5 June 1949, formally establishing the republic.

Politically, Magisteria is a federal presidential constitutional republic, comprising 32 provinces, a federal district, the Matsuoka island, and the Federal Dependencies. Magisteria's population of 242 million is highly urbanised and is concentrated evenly around the peninsula and islands. Annesia City is the nation's capital, while its most populous city and financial centre is Dayton. The next four largest cities are Calisota, Mathias, Abraham, and Honda. Magisteria's demography has been shaped by centuries of immigration: immigrants account for 30% of the country's population, and almost half of Magisterians have at least one parent born overseas. Magisteria's abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources including services, mining exports, banking, manufacturing, agriculture and international education.

Magisteria is a highly developed country with a high-income economy. As of 2022, it was the world's eighth-largest economy with the twenty-seventh highest per capita income. Magisteria is a regional power, and has the world's twentieth-highest military expenditure. Magisteria ranks amongst the highest in the world for quality of life, democracy, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties, safety, and political rights, with all its major cities faring exceptionally in global comparative livability surveys. It is a member of international groupings including the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the WTO, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and Organization of American States.

Etymology
The name "Magisteria" comes from the Latin word 'master'. Magisteria means 'master of lands'.

Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples in present-day Magisteria include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, the last being of mixed descent who originated in the mid-17th century when First Nations people married European settlers and subsequently developed their own identity.

The first inhabitants of North America are generally hypothesized to have migrated from Siberia by way of the Bering land bridge and arrived at least 14,000 years ago. The characteristics of Indigenous societies included permanent settlements, agriculture, complex societal hierarchies, and trading networks. Some of these cultures had collapsed by the time European explorers arrived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and have only been discovered through archeological investigations.

The Indigenous population at the time of the first European settlements is estimated to have been between 100,000 and 1.5 million, with a figure of 450,000 accepted by Magisteria's Federal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. As a consequence of European colonization, the Indigenous population declined by forty to eighty percent. The decline is attributed to several causes, including the transfer of European diseases, such as influenza, measles, and smallpox to which they had no natural immunity, conflicts over the fur trade, conflicts with the colonial authorities and settlers, and the loss of Indigenous lands to settlers and the subsequent collapse of several nations' self-sufficiency.

French rule: 1617-1792
For the first half of the country's colonial era, the country was under French rule as part of the New France area in North America, with the foundation of Port Champlain, which later became Annesia City, in 1617. The French rule ended due to the colonial conflict with Great Britain, which saw Magisteria becoming a British colony by 1792.

British rule: 1792-1900
The British era began in 1792 after the colonial conflict with France being the main reason to Magisteria becoming a British colony. The Royal Proclaimation of 1769 gave Magisteria more autonomy and annexed the Frederick island, now known as Frederick-Matsuoka island. To avert conflict in the island, the British Parliament passed the Frederick Act 1775, affording the island special autonomy and rights of self-administration at a time when the Thirteen Colonies were increasingly agitating against British rule.

After the successful American War of Independence, the 1783 Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the newly formed United States and set the terms of peace, ceding British North American territories south of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River to the new country. The American war of independence also caused a large out-migration of Loyalists, the settlers who had fought against American independence. Many moved to Canada and some to Magisteria, where their arrival changed the demographic distribution of the existing territories.

Magisterian Commonwealth: 1900-1949
On 31 December 1900, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, constitutional conventions and referendums, resulting in the establishment of the Magisterian Commonwealth as a nation and the entering into force of the 1900 Constitution of Magisteria.

The commonwealth, however, was doomed to fail due to the rising popularity of republicanism all over the country. In 1909, the Liberal Republican Party, who was expected to not win any of the seats in the general election, surprised everyone by winning a plurality over the ruling Monarchists. The second World War caused a large out-migration of Japanese people, referred to as the Migration from the Rising Sun. Magisteria remained neutral during the war, and at the same time, the country was experiencing political instability, only for the 1941 economic recession to burden the country. The Monarchists, who returned to power in the 1939 election, became deeply unpopular and their unwillingness to step down from power caused a civil unrest that lasted from 1944 to 1946.

To stop the unrest, the Monarchists agreed to negotiate with the Liberal Republican Party. In the negotiations, the Liberal Republican Party demanded a referendum to be held the following year as well declaring a transitional emergency government. The reluctant Monarchists had no choice but to accept the demands from the Liberal Republican Party in order to restore economic and political stability in Magisteria.

The referendum was held on 7 July 1947, and asked the Magisterian people if they want a new, republican constitution and what kind of body should write the republican constitution. 97.66 percent of Magisterians voted in favour of wanting a new, republican constitution and 69.71 percent chose the Constitutional Convention to write the new constitution. A second vote that elected the members of the Constitutional Convention was held on 12 February 1948, with the Liberal Republican Party winning all the seats of the convention. A third vote held on 30 January 1949 resulted in the approval of the Republican Constitution. The new constitution would go into effect on 5 June 1949.

Perrault era: 1949-1974
After the new constitution became effective on 5 June 1949, Prudence Perrault - the leader of the Liberal Republican Party - was inaugurated as President the same day the constitution went into effect. Perrault's presidency saw rapid growth and modernization across the republic, including development in Frederick Island and other impoverished areas. Perrault built a dam that was to be over a Indigenous village, which sparked huge controversy. When the indigenous peoples protested, a soldier would shoot a protestor. The incident would then be called the 'Perrault Dam incident'. Over the years, Perrault won a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even a 5th term, growing more authoritarian. But during his terms, the cracks began to show.

D'Aramitz era: 1974-1979
As Perrault became more authoritarian over the years, many citizens, the opposition, and even some members within the Liberal Republican Party protested against Perrault. Perrault would barely win his 5th term against a growing opposition movement, led by the Magisterian Democratic Party (MDP). But eventually, Perrault's time in power would end shortly after the 1974 presidential election. Many Liberal Republican members had turned against him. MDP leader Alain D'Aramitz would be inaugurated as the second President of Magisteria on 5 June 1974, and promised to de-authoritarianize the country.

During his presidency, Magisteria's overburdened welfare state was a main focal point for D'Aramitz. The hospitals had months-long waiting lists for terminally ill patients, capacity issues and used outdated technology. The average Magisterian was expected to live 65 years, but the most shameful statistic was the 85/1000 maternal mortality rate, a value well above even developing nations. True to his campaign's promises, billions were poured into the health ministry in an effort to improve quality care in rural areas, upgrading equipment and adding healthcare staff. By the end of D'Aramitz's term, maternal deaths during childbirth decreased by 81%, and thousands of women were saved. The added pharmaceutical capacity also proved vital in fighting the polio outbreak in the Miranda province, with Magisteria producing hundreds of thousands of vaccines. D'Aramitz made polio vaccination mandatory, saving the lives of many thousands of Magisterians and preventing many more from facing the deadly disease.

Urban areas had three times the number of schools per ten thousand people compared to rural areas, even suffering from a lack of teachers on top. Over D'Aramitz's term, a hundred rural schools were built and accessibility was improved.

For D'Aramitz's economic policy, he would resist the oligarchic syren call and fighted them head-on, increasing taxes of the wealthiest corporations to 45% while reducing them for small and medium businesses to 25%, also levying a 15% tax rate of luxury goods items and 10% estate tax for the purchase, sale and transfer of property in inheritance situations. Coupled with a dramatic decrease in military spending, abolishing conscription and Soviet aid, D'Aramitz distributed stimulus checks, and undertook the construction of the Magisterian National Highway. Additional billions were poured into the development of Eastern Magisteria, the poorest Magisterian region, further developing infrastructure and subsidizing its fishing industry. In 1977, the Dayton Sea Port was opened, with ships traveling to 40 destinations world wide, linking the disconnected Western Magisteria region to the international community. In addition, the Worker's Rights Act of 1978 was signed, establishing a minimum wage of 2.5 M$, a weekly maximum of 60 hours of labour and establishing protection against occupational hazards and enforcing humane work conditions. Through decrees, D'Aramitz also established the Federal Commission of Fair Trade and Competition in his fight against the Perrault oligarchs.

For his foreign policy, D'Aramitz went on to sign new trade deals with Mexico and Venezuela, opening the Magisterian petroleum and agricultural market to both Mexico and Venezuela. D'Aramitz also met Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito in Belgrade and signed the Magisterian-Yugoslavian Economic Partnership Agreement.

D'Aramitz would leave the presidency with record-high popularity of 82% in 1979. He was succeeded by Samuel Salomon, the NRC candidate in the 1979 presidential election.

Contemporary era: 1979-present
A number of crises shook Magisterian society in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These included the 1984 Leap day bombings, the largest series of bombings in Magisterian history; the 1988 Dayton University massacre, a university shooting targeting female students; and the Matsuoka crisis of 1989, the first of a number of violent confrontations between the government and the Asian minority.

Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, Magisteria joined the United States in fighting the Afghanistan War from 2001 until their withdrawal in 2005, a order from President Constantin Traverse. The nation's trade relations also became increasingly oriented towards Latin America and East Asia, with Japan becoming the nation's largest trading partner by a large margin.

During the COVID-19 pandemic which commenced in Magisteria in 2020, several of Magisteria's largest cities were locked down for extended periods of time, and free movement across provincial borders was restricted in an attempt to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Geography
By total area, Magisteria is the twenty-ninth largest country in the world, after Mauritania. The country encompasses 1,007,057 square kilometers (388,826 sq mi) of territory.

Government and politics
Magisteria is an asymmetrical federation, and a presidential participatory constitutional democracy with a parliamentary multi-party system that is currently ruled by the Magisterian Democratic Party, with 164 seats. The President is both the head of state and head of government, with the federal government composed of three branches:


 * Legislative: The unicameral National Parliament enacts national law, approves budgets, and provides a check on government policy.
 * Executive: The President is the commander-in-chief of the National People's Army, can veto legislative bills before they become law—subject to Congressional override—and appoints the members of the Cabinet and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
 * Judicial: The Supreme Federal Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The country has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system under its 1966 constitution, which is dubbed as the 'Valentine Constitution'. The Magisterian system of government combines elements derived from the political systems of the United Kingdom (Westminster system and a strong party discipline) and the United States (federalism, a written constitution and presidentialism). A unique feature about the Magisterian political system that it has a pretty powerful Prime Minister, which makes the prime minister the de facto vice president and deputy head of government.

Before the 1989 election, Magisteria operated under a de facto two-party system with the social-democratic Magisterian Democratic Party and the progressive-conservative National Republican Coalition dominating Magisterian politics since the fall of the Liberal Republican Party.

Parties and elections
Magisteria has a multi-party system with seven major parties are the social-democratic Magisterian Democratic Party, the progressive-conservative National Republican Coalition, the centrist social-liberal Purples, the left-wing progressive Advance Magisteria, the democratic-socialist Labour Workers' and Greens Party, the right-wing national-conservative People's Force, and the far-left syndicalist Phil Vibert's Red Revolution, ruling the nation's politics, with a large list of diverse third parties.

At the national level, Magisteria elects a head of state (the President) and a legislature. The franchise extends to all citizens aged 18 and over, and voting is mandatory (with a few exceptions) for all those who are between 18 and 70 years of age.

The President is elected for a five-year term, by direct popular vote, using a runoff voting system: a second vote is held if no party wins more than 45% of the votes, or more than 40% with also at least 10 percentage points more than the runner-up.

The unicameral National Parliament consists of 500 members, also elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. Magisteria has a multi-party system, which effectively bars one party from becoming the sole influence in a decision-making process. As such, parties must work with one another to form coalition governments. The whole election process is held by the Federal

Louis Sullivan of the social-democratic Magisterian Democratic Party, the winner of the 2019 Magisterian presidential election, is serving as the incumbent President of Magisteria.

Political divisions
Magisteria is governed as a federal state, and is divided by 32 provinces, a federal district, the autonomous Frederick-Matsuoka Island, and the Federal Dependencies. The provinces are divided for administration purposes into subprovinces and local-level government areas, except for the Philadelphia province, which is divided into regencies and minor regencies. The Federal Capital Territory is divided into communes. The provinces are divided into five regions: Northern Magisteria, Western Magisteria, Central Magisteria, Eastern Magisteria, and Southern Magisteria.

The provinces, the Federal Capital Territory, and the autonomous Frederick-Matsuoka Island have responsibility for social programs such as health care, education, and welfare, as well as administration of justice (but not criminal law). Together, the provinces collect more revenue than the federal government, a rarity among other federations in the world. Using its spending powers, the federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas such as health and child care; the provinces can opt out of these cost-share programs but rarely do so in practice. Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.

Foreign relations
Since 1852, Magisteria has been traditionally neutral but it maintained the heavily armed National People's Army. It maintains diplomatic relations with 190 United Nations member states, two partially-recognized states, and three United Nations observer states; along with 152 embassies. Magisteria is one of the six permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and is an undisputed global superpower alongside the United States. Magisteria has maintained close relations with Switzerland, as both countries are considered to be the most neutral countries in the world.

Military
The President holds the title of commander-in-chief of the National People's Army, as part of a legal framework that imposes a strict separation between national defense and internal security systems:

The National Defense System, an exclusive responsibility of the federal government, coordinated by the Ministry of Defense, and comprising the Army, the Naval Forces and the Aviation Forces. Ruled and monitored by National Parliament through the Parliament's Defense Committees, it is organized on the essential principle of legitimate self-defense: the repelling of any external military aggression in order to guarantee freedom of the people, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Law enforcement and crime
In Magisteria, the Constitution establishes five different police agencies for law enforcement: Federal Police Department, Federal Highway Police, Federal Railroad Police, Military Police and Civil Police. Of these, the first three are affiliated with federal authorities and the last two are subordinate to state governments. All police forces are the responsibility of the executive branch of any of the federal or state powers.

Intelligence and security
The Federal Intelligence Directorate (FID) is the official federal intelligence service of the United Republic of Magisteria, and it has made its reputation as one of the most effective security agencies in the world.

Economy
Magisteria has a highly developed market-based mixed economy, characterised by sizeable government involvement, economic diversity, a skilled labour force, and high innovation. For roughly two centuries, the Magisterian economy has consistently ranked among the ten largest globally. Between 1975 and 2005, growth rates averaged around 6 per cent per annum, transforming the living standards of the population.

The Magisterian economy is regarded as free, innovative, dynamic and business-friendly. For several years, Magisteria has been one of the few countries with an AAA credit rating from the big three. Magisteria attracts a large amount of foreign investment as a result of its location, skilled workforce, low tax rates, advanced infrastructure and zero-tolerance against corruption. It is one of the world's most competitive economies, according to the World Economic Forum's ranking of 141 countries.

The currency of Magisteria is the Magisterian dollar (MSD or M$), issued by the Federal Monetary Authority of the United Republic of Magisteria (FMAURM). FMAURM manages its monetary policy by allowing the Magisterian dollar exchange rate to rise or fall within an undisclosed trading band. This is different from most central banks, which use interest rates to manage policy. Magisteria has the world's eighth largest foreign reserves, and one of the highest net international investment position per capita.

Employment
Magisteria has a low unemployment rate for a developed country, with the rate not exceeding 4% from 2005 to 2014, and reaching highs of 2.4% in 2005 and 1.3% during the 2009 global financial crisis; it fell to 1.8% in the first quarter of 2015. As of 2022, Magisteria has a universal basic income system which was part of Sullivan's plan to avoid deflation.

Industry sectors
Magisteria is the world's 3rd-largest foreign exchange centre, 6th-largest financial centre, 2nd-largest casino gambling market, 3rd-largest oil-refining and trading centre, largest oil-rig producer and hub for ship repair services, and largest logistics hub. The economy is diversified, with its top contributors being financial services, manufacturing, and oil-refining. Its main exports are refined petroleum, integrated circuits, and computers, which constituted 27% of the country's GDP in 2010. Other significant sectors include electronics, chemicals, mechanical engineering, and biomedical sciences.

Tourism
Tourism is a major industry and contributor to the Magisterian economy, attracting 18.5 million international tourists in 2018. In 2019 tourism contributed directly to about 4% of Magisteria's GDP, down from 2016, when tourism contributed, directly and indirectly, to around 9.9% of Magisteria's GDP. Altogether, the sector generated approximately 8.6% of Magisteria's employment in 2016.

Agriculture
Magisteria is also one of the world's largest suppliers of agricultural products, particularly of wheat and other grains. Magisteria is a major exporter of agricultural products, to the United States and Asia. As with all other developed nations the proportion of the population and GDP devoted to agriculture fell dramatically over the 20th century. The agriculture and agri-food manufacturing sector created $55.3 billion to Magisteria's GDP in 2015, accounting for 2.6% of total GDP.

Television
Ninety-nine percent of Magisterian households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one. The five major broadcasters in Magisteria are the MBC Network (MBC), Platinum Television Network (PTV), the Continental Broadcasting System (CBS), Royal Broadcasting Corporation (RBC), and MTV (MTV).

Radio
Magisterian radio broadcasts in two bands: FM and AM. Some stations are only talk radio – featuring interviews and discussions – while music radio stations broadcast one particular type of music: Top 40, hip-hop, alternative rock, etc. Radio broadcast companies have become increasingly consolidated in recent years. Magisterian Public Radio is the nation's primary public radio network, but most radio stations are commercial and profit-oriented.

Motion pictures
In the 20th century, the motion picture industry rose to become one of the most successful and powerful industries in Magisteria, along with other intellectual property industries, its relative importance to the Magisterian economy has strengthened as the importance of manufacturing and agriculture have decreased (due to globalization).

Magazines
Thanks to the huge size of the English-speaking North American media market, Magisteria has a large magazine industry with hundreds of magazines serving almost every interest, as can be determined by glancing at any newsstand in any large Magisterian city. Most magazines are owned by one of the large media conglomerates or by one of their smaller regional brethren.

Population
The Magisterian population is estimated to be 242,116,339 as of 31 December 2022. In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and Magisteria-born children of immigrants in Magisteria, accounting for 28% of the overall Magisteria population. Magisteria has a very diverse population; 37 ancestry groups have more than one million members.

Languages
English and French are the de facto national languages of Magisteria. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as Magisterian naturalization requirements—standardize English, and most states have declared English as the official language.

Education
Magisterian public education is operated by state and local governments and regulated by the Magisterian Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants. In most states, children are required to attend school from the age of five or six (generally, kindergarten or first grade) until they turn 18 (generally bringing them through twelfth grade, the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at 16 or 17.

About 12% of children are enrolled in parochial or nonsectarian private schools. Just over 2% of children are homeschooled.

Educational stages
Formal education in Magisteria is divided into a number of distinct educational stages. Most children enter the public education system around ages five or six. Children are assigned into year groups known as grades.

The Magisterian school year traditionally begins at the end of August, after a traditional summer vacation or break. Children customarily advance together from one grade to the next as a single cohort or "class" upon reaching the end of each school year in late May.

Health
Healthcare in Magisteria is delivered through the state and territorial systems of publicly funded health care. Universal access to publicly funded health services "is often considered by Magisterians as a fundamental value that ensures national health care insurance for everyone wherever they live in the country."

Religion
Religious freedom is constitutionally provided for in Magisteria, and the country's constitution has been secular since the establishment of the republic. About 61% of Magisterians are convinced atheists, and the proportion of convinced atheists are among the highest in the world. The Magisterian people have been historically characterized as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion".

Culture
Magisteria's culture draws influences from its broad range of constituent nationalities, and policies that promote a "just society" are constitutionally protected. Magisteria has placed emphasis on equality and inclusiveness for all its people. Multiculturalism is often cited as one of Magisteria's significant accomplishments, and a key distinguishing element of Magisterian identity. In the Philadelphia province, cultural identity is strong, and there is a French Magisterian culture that is distinct from English Magisterian culture. However, as a whole, Magisteria is, in theory, a cultural mosaic—a collection of regional ethnic subcultures.

Symbols
Magisteria's national symbols are influenced by natural, historical, and Indigenous sources. The use of the eight-sided star as a Magisterian symbol dates to the late 19th century. The eight-sided star, also called as the "Star of Independence", is depicted on Magisteria's current and previous flags, and on the Arms of Magisteria.

Literature
Magisterian literature is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in the literary traditions of France and Britain, respectively. By the 1990s, Magisterian literature was viewed as some of the world's best. Magisteria's ethnic and cultural diversity are reflected in its literature, with many of its most prominent modern writers focusing on ethnic life.

Visual arts
Magisterian visual art has been dominated by figures such as Earl Cooper – the country's most famous painter – and Tanner Marlowe. Cooper's career painting Magisterian landscapes spanned a decade up to his death in 1919 at age 46.

Sports
The roots of organized sports in Magisteria date back to the 1770s, culminating in the development and popularization of the major professional games of wrestling, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, ice hockey and football. Magisteria's official national sports are wrestling, and ice hockey. Golf, soccer, baseball, tennis, skiing, badminton, volleyball, cycling, swimming, bowling, rugby union, canoeing, equestrian, squash and the study of martial arts are widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels.