Integrita

Integrita, officially the Republic of Integrita (Portuguese: República da Integrida), is a country located in the southeastern part of South America, sharing borders with Uruguay to it's north, and parts of Argentina to it's west. Integrita covers an area of approximately 152,000 square kilometers (58,800 sq mi) and has a population of an estimated 31.08 million, of whom 17 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Colidiodorado.

The land now known as Integrita was first inhabited by a group of hunter-gatherers the same era Uruguay was also first inhabited by the same group. The arrival of the Spanish was rather violent than peaceful, as killings of indigenous people were held during the first time the Spanish landed. After the indigenous people had enough of the Spanish's brutal wrath, Portugal negotiated a deal to stop the Spanish. The Integritan Civil War happened, with the indigenous people on Portugal's side against the Spanish. After six years of brutality and bloodshed, the Civil War ended when the Spanish decided to surrender, with the Portuguese winning. As a gift of appreciation from the indigenous people, they agreed to become an autonomous region for the Portuguese Empire.

Being the more independent colony of the imperial era of Portugal, they later became a territory for Gran Colombia while retaining it's autonomous status. After Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831 due to the political differences that existed between supporters of federalism and centralism, as well as regional tensions among the peoples that made up the republic, Integrita decided to go back to the Portuguese Empire. Portugal approved their readmission to the empire, but decided to give them 21 years to finally become independent.

Integrita finally declared it's independence on 29th February 1852, following a presidential election from the previous month which was won by Gregório Paredes. Paredes' term was rather a tough one, despite corruption being non-existant, the economy was the main problem for Paredes as resources from the country were mostly used for the war of Gran Colombia against Peru, resulting Integrita in an economic mess. Fortunately for Paredes' government, they managed to stabilize the economy in just a few years. Integrita remains a federal democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.

Integrita is a developed country with a high-income economy, being the first Latin American country to gain the developed classification from the IMF and the UN. It ranks first in Latin America in democracy, peace, low perception of corruption, and e-government. It is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class, and prosperity.

Etymology
The name "Integrita" comes from either the inhabitants' trait of great integrity or a mythical goddess 'Diosa Integrita'

Pre-colonial
Integrita was first inhabited around 13,000 years ago by hunter-gatherers, the same era where Uruguay was also first inhabited. There is an extensive group of thousands of man-made tumuli known as "Pechito Paloma" (which is also found in Uruguay) in the northern part of the country, some of them dating back to around 5,500-5,000 years ago. Very little is known about people who built them as they left no written record, but evidence has been found of agriculture and domesticated dogs.

Early colonization and genocide
The Spanish landed in the land now known as Integrita in 1512, and as they were finding resources, the indigenous peoples refuse to give them up, which led into the Integritan genocide. The estimated death toll count was more than 2,000 deaths, the most brutal genocide in the country's history.

Portuguese intervention and Integritan Civil War
Portugal, which has tensions with it's european neighbor Spain, negotiated with the indigenous peoples to take down the Spanish rule and end the Integritan genocide. It took six years filled with blood and violence just to end a bloody war between the indigenous peoples - with the help of the Portuguese - and Spain. The indigenous peoples won the war after the years of oppression from the Spanish, and Integrita became an autonomous region for Portugal.

República Autônoma da Integrida and under Gran Colombia
After the civil war ended, Integrita became an autonomous region for Portugal under the name 'República Autônoma da Integrida', or the Autonomous Republic of Integrita. Integrita was the more independent colony of the now-dissolved Portuguese Empire, but thanks to the abundant resources, the then-autonomous region was every country's dream. In 1819, Integrita was annexed by Gran Colombia, and became a territory for the country.

Return to the Portuguese Empire and independence
After the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1831, Integrita requested a readmission to the Portuguese Empire which was accepted by Portugal. Shorly after the readmission, Portugal gave Integrita a 21-year transition period that established the process for Integrita to finally become an independent country. After 21 years, Integrita finally gained it's independence from Portugal on 29th February 1852, the same day as first President Gregório Paredes took office. Despite the political stability, the economy was real unstable as the result of the Gran Colombia-Peru war. Somehow, the government managed to overcome the economic mess by increasing taxes for the rich and creating more jobs.

Contemporary era
Integrita remained to be Latin America's least corrupt country, scoring 84 out of 100 in the CPI rankings, tied with Switzerland. Despite being the least corrupt in Latin America and the high approval of the New Republican Party, the Integritan bolivar crisis has been a major problem since 2004, with the inflation reaching 40-45% and once reached 70% causing a period of hyperinflation between 2008 and 2010 while keeping high support of the people.

By 2017, the New Republican Party's support declined from 79% to only 21%, a fifty-eight percentage difference. The main reason for the party's support to decline was the inflation remained in a high, unstable percentage, approximately at 37% during that time. In the 2020 elections, the people finally gave the Socialist Party the confidence the party needed to become the ruling party after more than 2 decades, with Luisa María Pilar Varela becoming the president on 29th February 2020, and she succeeded on ending the crisis after 16 years.

Geography
With 152,448 km2 (58,860 sq mi) of continental land, Integrita is the smallest sovereign nation in South America (before Suriname and Uruguay). The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges with a fertile coastal lowland.

Climate
Located entirely within a temperate zone, Integrita has a climate that is relatively mild and fairly uniform nationwide. According to the Köppen Climate Classification, most of the country has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Government and politics
Integrita is a federal representative democratic republic with a presidential system. The members of government are elected for a four-year term by a universal suffrage system. The Executive Power is exercised by the president and a cabinet of 13 ministers.

The legislative power is constituted by the National Congress, composed of two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies, consisting of 96 members representing the 12 cantons, elected for a four-year term based on proportional representation; and the Senate, consisting of 36 non-partisan members, appointed by either the President of the 1st Vice-President.

The judicial arm is exercised by the Supreme Court, the Bench and Judges nationwide. The members of the Supreme Court are elected by the Chamber of Deputies; the members of the Bench are selected by the Supreme Court with the consent of the Senate, and the Judges are directly assigned by the Supreme Court.