Laioria

Laioria (German: Laarland, Laiorian: Լաիորա, Spanish: Laioria), officially known as the Commonwealth of Laioria, is a city-state in the Kadersaryinan Islands within the continent of North America, closely affiliated with Dryicor and Daricajuce. It is also one of the countries in the Kadersaryinan Islands that never joined the Federal Union of the Kadersaryinan Islands.

Early Laioria: 593-800
The city was founded in 593 as a state: the First Kingdom of Laioria was originally very prosperous and by around 650 covered most of the central Kadersaryinan islands, some of the western ones and some of the eastern ones, until the empire started to fall in around 732 and decreased to just a quarter of the Island of Daricajuce. Many had believed that the Jewish settlers in the Central Kadersaryinan Islands were the cause of their downfall, especially from their raids and invasions in the Kadersaryinan Islands. The Second Kingdom of Laioria only lasted until 800, when the land was annexed and divided up by Daricajuce, Khiarch, Kharnazury, Mawakin, and Trimaka, and the city of K'hals'si (now known as Laioria City) was destroyed and abandoned. Cities that were built near the abandoned settlement were populated by Jewish settlers.

Many historians now believe that the Jewish settlers were not actually the cause of Laioria's downfall; it instead being due to mismanagement from the top brass of the kingdom. The Jewish settlers were used as scapegoats, and were expelled from Laioria until 1542.

Laioria under colonial rule: 1550-1965
Originally colonised by Spain in 1550 alongside Daricajuce and Bairan, control was handed to the UK in 1635 after the illegal occupation of Laioria by Germany in 1856, but that didn't last long and the Germans fled from the territory within a couple of months. Germany tried again during World War I and successfully did it, but after WWI ended as part of the, Germany had to return it to the UK, which merged the area into the Dominion of Daricajuce.

Laioria was a self-governing area during this time.

In World War II, the Nazis tried again in 1941, however due to Hitler switching focus to to invade the Soviet Union, Nazi forces stationed on the island were decreased significantly and those remaining were removed in 1943. East Germany abandoned a later attempt in 1962 due to the greatly increasing tensions in the region.

In 1986, the ruling Labour Party elected progressive Alfonso Txurrónes as Prime Minister. Despite scepticism over his relative lack of political experience, Txurrónes' charisma and promises of a better life and welfare state won him the 1987 election.

In 1989, the Kadersaryinan Islands experienced a series of revolutions and Laioria took the pro-democratic side: as a nation which never had to join either the Federal Union of the Kadersaryinan Islands nor the UKF it had no political regime to support. Txurrónes' strategy was to let the revolutions play out, and concentrate on the aftermath. Due to the government's strong support, Txurrónes was able to take a risky gamble and fight for independence, as Daricajuce was supporting the UKF.

Near the end of 1989, Txurrónes started to make clear Laioria would take a side against the UKF. This took the Daricajucean regime by surprise, having expected Txurrónes to make little intervention. However, the winds, by then, were clearly turning, and Daricajuce it was pointless fighting over a piece of land it barely needed.

Txurrónes spent much of the revolutions planning a welfare state, whilst fighting for Laiorian independence. He drew up a draft constitution, and set about nationalising healthcare, railways, ports and utilities: whilst this raised eyebrows in the USA, Txurrónes assured President Bush that he was not taking Laioria in a Communist direction, famously remarking "I am not driving Laiorians away from freedom, I do what is right by my people."

Txurrónes' approach to the Revolutions kept investor confidence in Laioria more than other Kadersaryinan countries, and the country became the fastest-growing economy in the Kadersaryinan Islands during the revolutions. Txurrónes became an international icon of the pro-democracy side of the Revolutions, and his popularity soared.

Independent Laioria: 1991–present
Laioria got its independence in 1991 after the Revolutions of 1989 in the Kadersaryinan Islands. The city of K'hals'si was rebuilt and was controversially renamed to Laioria City. Due to this change of identity to seem more cosmopolitan, it started to become repopulated using innovative ideas, including skyscrapers which dig into the ground as well as to the sky, and rooftop gardens and gardens on balconies. In 1992 Laioria adopted a progressive constitution and set out its local governance, made up of four regions, which in 1994 were devolved further into seven counties. This has made Laioria less of a city-state, since Laioria City has the same legislative power as other regions, however some commentators still give the country that title. In 1992 Laioria held a general election to see in which direction the country wanted to head, and Txurrónes' Labour won a landslide.

After Laioria calmed down and successfully reinvented itself, Txurrónes stood down in late 1996 with a massive 88% approval rating. Thousands of well-wishers lined the road to Parliament to cheer Txurrónes and his successor Mervyn Selwyn. Txurrónes and Selwyn greeting fans during the switch remains one of the most iconic images in Laiorian history.

Alberto Txurrónes passed away on 6 July 2014 aged 77. He is the only Laiorian to lie in state and be granted a state funeral, with then-Prime Minister Phil Wieniewski saying that, "If there were any one person who exemplified and embodied the values that this country holds dear, it was Alberto Txori Txurrónes... The true King of Laioria."

Currently, Laioria is experiencing a constitutional crisis with Iprogne Ubajrifla, a right-wing and ultranationalist  politician, originally backed by the CIA and the US Government until Joe Biden's victory. He is the current leader of the Kadersaryinan Islands branch of QAnon. His running mate, Baungu'ul Vokal'lirk, is a and a far-right Laiorian nationalist politician, and one of the stockholders and investors of the  and. Although the crisis has died down recently, the country is still very much divided.

People/Trends

 * Percentages of the types of ownership in Laioria as of 2024 and the percentage change from 2017-2021:
 * 20% by 15%
 * 14% by 5%
 * 12% by 5%
 * 12% by 6%
 * 10% by 5%
 * 8.55% by 4.55%
 * 8% by 5%
 * 7.5% by 6%
 * 5% by 2%
 * 2% by 1.5%
 * 0.375% by 0.3%
 * 0.2% by 0.1%
 * 0.025%


 * The currency used is the Laiorian Kronor. Originally using a £sd-like system, the currency switched to a decimal system upon regaining independence in 1991. The general exchange rate is KR 1,00 = £0.82 = $1.14.
 * The life expectancy is 73.1 for men and 76.2 for women.
 * The drinking age is 16 in Laioria.
 * The driving age is also 16 in Laioria. Laioria drives on the right.
 * One must be 16 to gamble to a value above KR 10,00.
 * The marriage age is 16 in Laioria with the permission of one or more parents of each party to the marriage, and 18 without.
 * Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1977. Civil partnerships for same-sex couples have been allowed since 2004, and same-sex marriage was legalised in 2018. Laiorians are generally accepting of LGBTQ+ rights, with 74% supporting equal rights for same-sex couples and 58% supporting same-sex marriage.
 * Like Dryicorans, Laiorians prefer to keep their personal space, yet due to the local geography being close to the USA, jaywalking and strict organisation is less frowned-upon than in Dryicor, and trying to keep to personal space is not as rigorous as in the Nordic country.
 * Laiorians have a minimum wage of KR 12,50 ($14.25, £10.30). It maintains a Nordic-style social welfare system, having been put in place in 1995. The LNHS provides state healthcare to all Laiorian citizens.

Education
Laiorians receive a very strong education, with a further 2 billion Kr boost coming in 2024 with the advent of the Laioria Technical Academies.

The school day tends to start at 9.30am and end at 3pm, however schools have complete freedom to set their own start and end times. There does not tend to be a morning break. There are three full terms with a two-week holiday between them, each full term is broken up by a half-term interval which lasts for one week.

Laiorians start school aged 5, entering into elementary school, or primary school. At the age of 10 or (usually) 11, they take fully linear P Level exams at the end of the xth grade,. They then move onto high school, or secondary school, and aged 13 or 14, they start studying S Level courses, which are modular in some subjects and linear in others. Laiorians may then leave school after they have received their S Level grades, or carry on into further education and study the A Level.

A comparison between the Laiorian system and the US and UK systems is listed below: In 2024, the Technical Academies' arrival is scheduled to open up A Level courses to more people, including adults, who will have more distance learning. After A Levels, students usually either leave or go onto university.

There is only one university in the country, the University of Laioria, and as such the majority of university hopefuls apply for international places.

Sport
is the national sport, whilst and  are popular too.

Laioria first entered the Olympics as a new nation at. It has received 3 bronze medals.

Government
Laioria is governed by the Tynwald of Laioria, the top tier government in the region. Laioria is a unitary state, however some power is devolved to local government.

Locally, Laioria is split into four regions, which are further split into seven counties. Regional councils have responsibility over the local transport (in conjunction with central government), the emergency services, local justice and social services. County councils have responsibility over housing, education, planning applications, libraries, leisure, waste disposal and the local environment.

Issues which concern multiple counties in the same region must be co-ordinated at regional level. Issues which concern multiple regions must be co-ordinated between all regions and counties concerned and the central government.

Languages
Laioria's main first languages are English, a legacy of the colonial era, and Finnish, as many Finns have come to the country and settled over the years. Icelandic was also well-known, since Laioria successfully advertised itself as a good destination for Icelanders hit hard by the eruptions between 1783 and 1784: though the language has decreased the country has formed its own dialect amongst Icelandic speakers. German, due to the repeated occupations, is spoken as an official language, and it is estimated 95% of Laiorians can understand it and have a conversation. Most Laiorians also speak fluent Spanish due to being geographically close to Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean, and as a legacy of having been colonised by Spain. Hebrew and Yiddish are also spoken, and these languages are mostly spoken in the east of the capital city.