Laguna Grande

Laguna Grande (/lˈaɡʌnə:ɡrænd); officially Federative Republic of Laguna Grande is an independent sovereign state located in South America. With a population of 7.953.186 inhabitants, its the 4th less populated nation in the continent after Uruguay, Surinameand Guyana. In 2019, its GDP was above 100 billion. Salt and extractive fishing exports are extremely important for the Lagunian economy. Mining is really important, especially in the state of Atacama. The capital of the country is Puerto Iquique (In English, "Port Iquique"). It was the first village built in the region. Puerto Iquique is also known for being the biggest city in the entire country.

Laguna Grande shares borders with Chile (southwest), Peru (northwest), Paraguay (east), Bolivia (north) and Argentina (north). The nation recognizes Spanish as the official language, but several other regional languages were also recognized by the government, like Guaraní for example.

Colonization
The region was discovered and colonized in the 16th century, along with Chile. Multiple conflicts happened with the Mapuches and the Incas, however, the Spanish managed to control the situation and install a new government in the local. The territory was discovered by Diego De Almagro, partner of Francisco Pizarro. Diego received the land of Nueva Toledo  (Chile) and Tierra Maestra (Laguna Grande) to administrate. An expedition was organized by him to central Chile and later on to central Laguna, but nothing really valuable was found. The Atacama region was split between Nueva Toledo and Tierra Maestra, so both areas could take advantage of the rich desert. Pedro de Valdivia explored the inner regions of the Andes, finding multiple towns. The conquest continued, but Mapuche resistance appeared. Valdivia died while fighting against the Mapuches, causing tensions to increase between the two sides. Meanwhile, in Tierra Maestra, the Incas had collapsed. The territory of the empire was also split between multiple regions of the Spanish Empire. Tons of indigenous people from Nueva Toledo, Bolivia and Tierra Maestra (now under the authority of the Viceroyalty of Peru) had passed out due to diseases that had been brought by the Europeans. During the Spanish colonization of South America, multiple rebellions happened, principally from natives, that were extremely unsatisfied with the Spanish administration. However, most of the natives were defeated.

Independence War
With the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish Empire was weakened. Lagunians saw that as an opportunity to start an attack against the colonial forces and declare independence since most of the population was discontent with the Spanish Rule. In 1812, the Independence War officially started, as the local authorities would've been killed or attacked. In 1820, with the help of Símon Bolivar, Laguna Grande declared independence from the Spanish Empire. Later on, a congress defined that the country would be a Republic, with the name of "Laguna Grande" (huge lagoon, in Spanish, which refers to the location where independence was declared.)

19th century
The 19th century was great for the Lagunian people. The economy would grow, and the nation would be consolidated as a regional superpower with increasing military power. Things changed when the War of the Pacific happened. The nation annexed, along with Chile, part of the Atacama and part of the Bolivian coast, giving sea access to Laguna Grande. At the beginning of the 19th century, the abolition of slavery also happened.

20th century
The 20th century was considerably turbulent. In both world wars, Laguna Grande sent support to the United States, along with other Latin countries, such as Brazil and Mexico. The country had turned into a dictatorship between 1940 and 1945 after president Anderson Vasquez was declared president after a military coup caused by The Revolution of 1939, that happened due to the fact that the 1939 Elections were manipulated, making the opposition of Anderson Vasquez win the elections. However, the leader of the opposition/new president was ousted by the military. During 1940 and 1945, known as the "República Renovada" (Renewed Republic), a new constitution was made without the permission of congress, since the same had been closed down. Vasquez had the power to control everything or anyone. He was an extremely anti-communist and pro-industrial nationalist, which made the country depend less on the U.S. Multiple manifestations happened in the entire country, and Vasquez  ended up being murdered. A new president would be elected, restoring the democratic government, bringing another constitution as well, that turned the nation into a Federative Republic. The period between 1945 and 1971 was known as the "Periodo Democratico" (Democratic Era). The prosperity and HDI increased, while the inflation decreased. Although, the economy started to collapse in the Artur Castro government (1969-1971). The population was extremely unsatisfied, as food and gas prices were hyperinflationed, along with the precarious conditions of life in interior areas. Another Coup d'etat happened, and Castro had been ousted and deported. The congress would be closed once again, and the militaries would elect the Head of the Minister of Defence's military cabinet Sandro Gondíaz Júnior as the president of the country. The civic-military dictatorship era had started and would last until 1982. In that period, the economy would increase once again, along with the HDI and life expectancy. Even so, the government was extremely authoritarian, and over 8k people had been tortured or killed in 11 years. In 1981, the military general O'Higgins Bernardo was elected president. He betrayed the generals, and, in 1982, re-opened the congress and declared the end of the Civic-Military dictatorship. O'Higgins created the Constitution of '82, and created several social welfare programs to help the low-income families around the country. Life quality index increased, and, in 2015, the HDI would finally reach the 0.7 mark.

"Laguna Grande is a prosperous country with a democratic government. However, social inequality is still a problem, but things are slowly being fixed." -President Patricio Torregrossa, 2018.

Etymology
The name Laguna Grande is a reference to the place where independence was declared. The place is known as "Laguna de la Independencia". It is an extremely touristic place.

The name became common right before the independence, as the population wished that independence had to be declared in "Laguna Grande", and then forming the Republic of Laguna Grande.

Alternative Names

 * Gran Laguna
 * Lagoa Grande
 * Laguna Verde
 * Gran Verde

Geography
Laguna Grande is the 77th largest country in the world, with a land area of 247772.86 km² (95665.10 sq mi). It has land borders with Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. It also has maritime boundaries with Chile and Peru. Laguna has a mountainous western region, which is where the Atacama is located. The Atacama is a huge desert and a rich mineral deposit which is extremely important for the Lagunian economy. In the eastern region, green plains are common. In the northern region, there are mountainy regions, bordering with Bolivia. The Andes makes traveling from eastern to western regions (or vice-versa) complicated. However, new highways were made that cross the Andes/Atacama, which also benefits the national integration.

The Lagunian geography can be extremely diversified, ranging from simple green plains to extreme altitudes in the Andes. The eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central descend gradually in a series of complex north-south ranges. The climate can also vary depending on the ecoregion, with Tropical savanna climate, Humid subtropical climate, Warm semi-arid climate, Cold desert climate (Andes) and Cold Semi-Arid climate. Valleys and lowlands (where most of the important rivers are found) can be seen in the western and eastern regions, respectively. Near the border with Paraguay, there is the existence of a small portion of the Pantanal, predominant in Brazilian territories. Faunal biodiversity is large in the country.

Government
Currently, the government of Laguna Verde is a federal presidential constitutional republic, with three independent branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The president is both head of state and head of government. The multi-party system is existent. The states have their own government, and municipal/presidential elections happen every 4 years. Laguna is divided politically into several federal units. Each municipality has an autonomous local government, with a mayor and a legislative body. In 2018, The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Laguna Verde a flawed democracy.

Parliament
The parliament has 250 seats, with 8 policial parties. They are known as:

Partido Unión Nacional [PUN] - Nationalism/Economic Nationalism;

Partido Socialista de Laguna Grande [PSdeLG] - Democratic Socialism;

Alianza Nueva [AN] - Liberalism;

Libertad Social [LS] - Inclusion of minorities in the society/government;

Partido Símon Bolivar [PSB] - Nationalism;

Autonomía [AT] - Autonomy for the Lagunian population;

Movimiento Monárquico [MM] - Instauration of a monarchist government;

Partido Natura [PN] - Green politics.

Patricio Torregrossa is currently affiliated with PSB.

Law enforcement
In Laguna Grande, law enforcement is made by the National Police [Policía Nacional-PN]. The PN controls four law enforcement institutions: Lagunian Fire Brigade [Cuerpo de Bomberos Lagunense-CBL]; State Military Police [Policía Militar Estatal]; Federal Railway and Airport Police [Policía Militar de las Vias Ferreas y Aeropuertos-PMVFA] and '''Lagunian Civil Police [Policía Civil-LPC]. '''The National Police is responsible for all law enforcement institutions and actions. There are also Municipal Guards [Guarda Municipal-GM], but those are subordinated to the municipal authorities.

Military
The Lagunian Army/Navy/Air Force forms the Gran Lagunian Armed Forces, commanded by the '''Ministry of Defence. '''The military service is mandatory for every male that turned 18 years old. In 2017, Laguna had 58.250 active military personnel, and 1.384.175 available for military service. The main tank used is the EE-T1 Osório, while the main fighter jet is the SAAB JAS 39 Gripen.

Currently, military personnel is being used for UN Peacekeeping missions in Haiti and several African nations, along with the Brazilian Army. There is no military personnel in the Middle Eastern Region.

Foreign Relations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for foreign relations. Currently, Laguna Grande is in the U.N. and has alliances with the following countries:

Economy
The Lagunian economy can be considered stable, with a considerably well-developed market. Corruptions levels used to be high until 2008 when new measures were taken by the ex-president Inácio Apodi. An economic crisis happened due to government corruption between 2004 and 2008. After Apodi was elected, corruption levels decreased drastically, and the economy recovered pretty quickly. In 2007, the unemployment rate was approx. 32%, but decreased to 5.3% in 2016. Exportations are responsible for 25% of the GDP, while the industry is responsible for 30% and the service sector 20%.

The automobile industry is strong in Laguna, and is also one of the main exports of the country, along with pharmaceuticals, salt, and minerals. The country has its own car brand, also known as Nord Automobiles, that produces family cars (hatchbacks, sedans, SUV, and minivans) and utility vehicles (trucks, vans).

Culture
Laguna Grande has a diversified culture. It mixes the elements of the Quechua, Guaraní and Aymara culture. The cultural identity of the country had changed drastically after colonized, but it was recovered in the 20th century. The government protects the culture of those groups.

Cuisine
The Quechuas and Guaraní dishes are present in Lagunian cuisine. Traditional plates include:

Sopa Lagunense

Ceviche

Cuy

Pollo a la Brasa

The cuisine is extremely diversified, and different dishes are consumed around the country.

Television
Main article: Telecommunications of Laguna Grande

The two main broadcasting companies in L.G. are: Telegrande and '''STL [Sistema de Television Lagunense]. Both companies broadcasts its programs in Spanish, but Telegrande has an affiliated company in Brazil, known as TelegrandeBR''', which broadcasts in Brazilian Portuguese. Private broadcasting channels are existant.

Sport
Main article:  Liga Lagunense A1/A2 [Football Tournament]

Soccer/Football is the most popular sport on Laguna Grande, along with Basketball and Voleyball. The National Soccer Team is known as ALF [Asociación Lagunense de Futból], and has played several world cups.

The Liga Lagunense A1 is the highest football league. Over 20 teams play in each division.

Multiple companies broadcast the Liga Lagunense A1/A2, including SporTV and Fox Sports.