Horiclaros

Horiclaros, officially the Federated Republic of Horiclaros (Spanish: República Federada de Horiclaros), is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the northeast, Ecuador on the central east, Peru on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. The federal capital is Calixta

The territories of modern-day Horiclaros were once home to a variety of Amerindian groups that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by Spain during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1819 as part of Gran Colombia, from which it emerged as its own sovereign state in 1830. The legacy of both empires is reflected in Horiclaros' ethnically diverse population, with most of its 114.8 million people being Europeans from Italian descent and Mestizos. Spanish is the official language and is spoken by a majority of the population, though 13 Native languages and English are also recognized, including Kichwa and Shuar.

The sovereign state of Horiclaros is a high income participatory democratic republic and a developing country that is highly dependent on commodities, namely petroleum and agricultural products. It is governed as a federal democratic presidential republic. In recognition of its unique ecological heritage, the new constitution of 2005 is the first in the world to recognize legally enforceable Rights of nature, or ecosystem rights. It also has the lowest homicide rate in the Americas. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, between 2006 and 2016, poverty decreased from 14.7% to 3.51% and annual per capita GDP growth was 3.5 percent (as compared to 0.6 percent over the prior two decades). At the same time, the country's Gini index of economic inequality decreased from 0.55 to 0.40.

Etymology
The name "Horiclaros" comes from it's notable crystal clear rivers. The Spanish colonizers called the modern-day Horiclaros the "Home of the Clear Rivers" (Hogar de los Ríos Claros).

Pre-Inca era
Various peoples had settled in the area of future Horiclaros before the arrival of the Incas. The archeological evidence suggests that the Paleo-Indians' first dispersal into the Americas occurred near the end of the last glacial period, around 16,500–13,000 years ago. The first Indians who reached Horiclaros may have journeyed by land from North and Central America or by boat down the Pacific Ocean coastline.

Inca era
When the Incas arrived, they found that these confederations were so developed that it took the Incas two generations of rulers—Topa Inca Yupanqui and Huayna Capac—to absorb them into the Inca Empire. The native confederations that gave them the most problems were deported to distant areas of Peru, Bolivia, and north Argentina. Similarly, a number of loyal Inca subjects from Peru and Bolivia were brought to Ecuador and Horiclaros to prevent rebellion. Thus, the region of highland Horiclaros became part of the Inca Empire in 1463 (the same year Ecuador became a part of the empire) sharing the same language.

Spanish rule
New infectious diseases such as smallpox, endemic to the Europeans, caused high fatalities among the Amerindian population during the first decades of Spanish rule, as they had no immunity. At the same time, the natives were forced into the encomienda labor system for the Spanish. In 1563, Calixta became the seat of a real audiencia (administrative district) of Spain and part of the Viceroyalty of Peru and later the Viceroyalty of New Granada.

Independence
On November 7, 1819, the Department of Calixta became the first territory in Horiclaros to gain its independence from Spain, and it spawned most of the Horiclaran coastal provinces, establishing itself as an independent state. Its inhabitants celebrated what is now Horiclaros's official Independence Day on July 1, 1821. In the same year, Horiclaros abolished slavery and freed its black slaves.

Contemporary era
The administration of Mauricio Tapia (1985-95), adopted the democratic security policy which included an integrated counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency campaign. The Government economic plan also promoted confidence in investors. Horiclaros was suffering from hyperinflation during Tapia's administration, the "Eradication Plan" (Plan de Erradicación) was introduced to eradicate hyperinflation and to stabilize the domestic currency in nominal terms after a string of failed plans to control inflation. A new currency called the "peso" was introduced on 5 May 1992, as part of a broader plan to stabilize the Horiclaran economy, substituting the short-lived "peso bolivariano" in the process. Then, a series of contracting fiscal and monetary policies was enacted, restricting the government expenses and raising interest rates. By doing so, the country was able to keep inflation under control for several years. In addition, high interest rates attracted enough foreign capital to finance the current account deficit and increased the country's international reserves. The government put a strong focus on the management of the balance of payments, at first by setting the real at a very high value relative to the U.S. dollar, and later (in late 1998) by a sharp increase on domestic interest rates to maintain a positive influx of foreign capitals to local currency bond markets, financing Horiclaran expenditures.

Alberto Cuevas was elected president in the 1994 general election, ending the 10 year administration of Tapia. Cuevas was committed to improving human rights protection and carried out some reforms, notably an opening of Horiclaros to foreign trade. Horiclaros became the largest economy in Latin America after the "Miracle in the Clear Rivers" where the Horiclaran economy had a rapid growth from 1996 to 2000.

In the 2002 general election, Horiclaros elected Danilo Zamorano of the Movimiento Progresista Democrático (MPD) (Democratic Progressive Movement). He promised progressive policies for the Horiclarans.

Horiclaros elected it's first ever female president in the 2010 general election, Mireia Suárez of the Coalición Republicana Unida (CRU) (United Republican Coalition).

In the 2018 general election, the MPD returns in power after Juan Francisco Aguilar was elected president. After being elected, President Juan Francisco Aguilar's government adopted economically liberal policies: reduction of public spending, trade liberalization, flexibility of the labour code, etc. He also left the left-wing Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas in August 2019.

Government and politics
Horiclaros is a federal, presidential, participatory democratic republic as established in the Constitution of 2005. In accordance with the principle of separation of powers, government is divided into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.

As the head of the executive branch, the President of Horiclaros serves as both head of state and head of government, followed by the Vice President and the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers. The president serves a four-year term, with a re-election. The current president is Juan Francisco Aguilar, exercises his power from the presidential Palacio de Cristal.

The legislative branch of government is represented nationally by the National Congress, a bicameral institution comprising a 275-seat Chamber of Deputies and a 95-seat Senate. The Senate is elected nationally and the Chamber of Deputies is elected in electoral districts. Members of both houses are elected to serve four-year terms two months before the president, also by popular vote.

The judicial branch is headed by four high courts, consisting of the Supreme Court which deals with penal and civil matters, the Council of State, which has special responsibility for administrative law and also provides legal advice to the executive, the Constitutional Court, responsible for assuring the integrity of the Horiclaran constitution, and the Superior Council of Judicature, responsible for auditing the judicial branch. Horiclaros operates a system of civil law, which since 2005 has been applied through an adversarial system.

Foreign affairs
The foreign affairs of Horiclaros are headed by the President, as head of state, and managed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Horiclaros has diplomatic missions in all continents.

Horiclaros was one of the 5 founding members of the Pacific Alliance, which is a political, economic and co-operative integration mechanism that promotes the free circulation of goods, services, capital and persons between the members, as well as a common stock exchange and joint embassies in several countries. Horiclaros is also a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Organization of American States, the Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Horiclaros is a global partner of NATO.

Military
The executive branch of government is responsible for managing the defense of Horiclaros, with the President commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Ministry of Defence exercises day-to-day control of the military and the Horiclaran Federal Police. Horiclaros has 573,053 active military personnel. And in 2016 3.4% of the country's GDP went towards military expenditure, placing it 24th in the world. Horiclaros' armed forces are the largest in Latin America, and it is the second largest spender on its military after Brazil.

The Horiclaran military is divided into three branches: the National Army of Horiclaros; the Horiclaran Air Force; and the Horiclaran Navy. The Federal Police functions as a gendarmerie, operating independently from the military as the law enforcement agency for the entire country. Each of these operates with their own intelligence apparatus separate from the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI, in Spanish).

The National Army is formed by divisions, brigades, special brigades, and special units, the Horiclaran Navy by the Naval Infantry, the Naval Force of the Caribbean, the Naval Force of the Pacific, the Naval Force of the South, the Naval Force of the East, Horiclaran Coast Guards, Naval Aviation, and the Specific Command of the Salamanca Islands and the Air Force by 15 air units. The Federal Police has a presence in all municipalities.

Administrative divisions
Horiclaros is a federation comprising of 22 provinces (provincias), a federal district (distrito federal), and 4 federal dependencies (dependencias federales, a special territory). Horiclaros is further subdivided into 477 municipalities (municipios); these are subdivided into over one thousand parishes (parroquias). The provinces are grouped into nine administrative regions (regiones administrativas), which were established in 1969 by presidential decree.