The Kingdom of Lapania

The Kingdom of Lapania is MatPlayz Gaming Channel's Official Nation. It has appeared in his Alternate Future of the world and on Monsoonjr's MC server in Earth World Revived Revived, Terraen, Panegia Revived and Earth World Revived Revived and is set to appear in Mappercraft's North America world. The country is a power in the Americas.

History
Cuba's earliest known human inhabitants colonised the island in the 4th millennium BC. The oldest known Cuban archeological site, Levisa, dates from approximately 3100 BC.A wider distribution of sites date from after 2000 BC, most notably represented by the Cayo Redondo and Guayabo Blanco cultures of western Cuba. These neolithiccultures utilised ground stone and shell tools and ornaments, including the dagger-like gladiolitos, which are believed to have had a ceremonial role.The Cayo Redondo and Guayabo Blanco cultures lived a subsistence lifestyle based on fishing, hunting and collecting wild plants.

Prior to Columbus' arrival, the indigenous Guanajatabey, who had inhabited Cuba for centuries, were driven to the far west of the island by the arrival of subsequent waves of migrants, including the Taíno and Ciboney. These people had migrated north along the Caribbean island chain.

The Taíno and Siboney were part of a cultural group commonly called the Arawak, who inhabited parts of northeastern South America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Initially, they settled at the eastern end of Cuba, before expanding westward across the island. The Spanish Dominican clergyman and writer Bartolomé de las Casas estimated that the Taíno population of Cuba had reached 350,000 by the end of the 15th century. The Taíno cultivated the yuca root, harvested it and baked it to produce cassava bread. They also grew cotton and tobacco, and ate maize and sweet potatoes. According to Las Casas, they had "everything they needed for living; they had many crops, well arranged"

hristopher Columbus, on his first Spanish-sponsored voyage to the Americas in 1492, sailed south from what is now the Bahamasto explore the northeast coast of Cuba and the northern coast of Hispaniola. Columbus, who was searching for a route to India, believed the island to be a peninsula of the Asian mainland. The first sighting of a Spanish ship approaching the island was on 28 October 1492, probably at Bariay, Holguín Province, on the eastern point of the island.

During a second voyage in 1494, Columbus passed along the south coast of the island, landing at various inlets including what was to become Guantánamo Bay. With the Papal Bull of 1493, Pope Alexander VI commanded Spain to conquer, colonize and convert thepagans of the New World to Catholicism. On arrival, Columbus observed the Taíno dwellings, describing them as "looking like tents in a camp. All were of palm branches, beautifully constructed".

The Spanish began to create permanent settlements on the island of Hispaniola, east of Cuba, soon after Columbus' arrival in the Caribbean, but the coast of Cuba was not fully mapped until 1509, when Sebastián de Ocampo completed this task. In 1511,Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar set out from Hispaniola to form the first Spanish settlement in Cuba, with orders from Spain to conquer the island. The settlement was at Baracoa, but the new settlers were to be greeted with stiff resistance from the local Taíno population. The Taínos were initially organized by cacique Hatuey, who had himself relocated from Hispaniola to escape the brutalities of Spanish rule on that island. After a prolonged guerrilla campaign, Hatuey and successive chieftains were captured and burnt alive, and within three years the Spanish had gained control of the island. In 1514, a settlement was founded in what was to become Havana the capital of the Kingdom of Lapania.

As a result of the political upheavals caused by the Iberian Peninsular War and the removal of Ferdinand VII from the Spanish throne, a west separatist rebellion emerged among the Cuban Creole aristocracy in 1809 and 1810. One of its leaders, Joaquín Infante, drafted Lapania's first constitution, declaring the island a sovereign state, presuming the rule of the countries' wealthy, maintaining slavery as long as it was necessary for agriculture, establishing a social classification based on skin color and declaring Catholicism the official religion. This conspiracy also failed and the main leaders were sentenced to prison and deported to Spain. In 1812, a mixed-race abolitionist conspiracy arose, organized by José Antonio Aponte, a free black carpenter in Havana. He and others were executed.

Cuba and Florida which were Spanish colonies declared independence from Spain and formed a new state called the Kingdom of Lapania. The Kingdom of Lapania declared war on Spain and annexed the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. Tensions rose between the former Spanish colonies of Mexico which controlled present day Mexico and Central America. Tensions went to the breaking point and Mexico declared war on the Kingdom of Lapania. Lapania did a naval invasion of Central America. Eventually a peace treaty was signed in Panama City. The terms were that Lapania would annex Central America and Yucatan. Eventually the Gran Colombia war happened between Lapania and Gran Colombia. Gran Colombia invaded Panama but the Lapanians pushed the Colombians back and the treaty of Bogota was signed where Lapania would fully annex Gran Colombia.

Government
Lapania is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a bicameral parliament, the Cortes Generalés (General Courts). The executive branch consists of a Council of Ministers of Lapania presided over by the Prime Minister, nominated and appointed by the monarch and confirmed by the Congress of Deputies following legislative elections.

The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) with 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms, and a Senate (Senado) with 259 seats of which 208 are directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year terms.

All Autonomous Communities have their own elected parliaments and governments.

Foreign Relations
In the Iraqi Civil War, The Kingdom of Lapania declared support for Kurdistan and sent financial aid to Kurdistan. The King of Lapania declared that "The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is a menace and must be eradicated." Lapania started to use its air forces and sent troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In the Syrian Civil War Lapania supports the Free Syrian Army and Rojava. Lapania has told Mexico various times to end the Drug War but Mexico has never responded to Lapanian urges. In the Ukrainian Conflict Lapania declared its support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion of Crimea. Saying "Peace in Europe is in jeopardy because of this event and we need to talk action before war consumes Europe again." Lapania has good relations with The United States of America, Ukraine, India and Canada. Most Lapanians declare that Peruvians are "Their brothers" and Peru and Lapania have great relations. It has an alliance with the Republic of Ether and the Gherensi Caliphate.

Crime and Law Enforcement
All law enforcement agencies are maintained under Lapania's Ministry of the Interior which is supervised by the Revolutionary Armed Forces. In Lapania, citizens can receive police assistance by dialing "106" on their telephones. The police force, which is referred to as "Policía Nacional Revolucionaria" or PNR is then expected to provide help. The Lapania government also has an agency called the Intelligence Directorate that conducts intelligence operations and maintains close ties with the United States.

Resources
Lapania's natural resources include sugar, tobacco, fish, citrus fruits, coffee, beans, rice, potatoes, and livestock. Lapania's most important mineral resource is nickel, with 21% of total exports in 2011. The output of Lapania's nickel mines that year was 71,000 tons, approaching 4% of world production. As of 2013 its reserves were estimated at 5.5 million tons, over 7% of the world total. Sherritt International of Canada operates a large nickel mining facility in Moa. Lapania is also a major producer of refined cobalt, a by-product of nickel mining operations,

Oil exploration in 2005 by the US Geological Survey revealed that the North Cuba Basin could produce approximately 4.6 billion barrels (730,000,000 m3) to 9.3 billion barrels (1.48×109 m3) of oil. In 2006, Lapania started to test-drill these locations for possible exploitation.

Religion
In 2010, the religious affiliation of the country was estimated by the Pew Forum to be 65% Christian (60% Roman Catholic or about 6.9 million in 2016, 5% Evangelical Protestant or about 575,000 in 2016), 23% unaffiliated, 17% folk religion, and the remaining 0.4% consisting of other religions.

Roman Catholicism is the largest religion, with its origins rooted in Spanish colonization. Despite less than half of the population identifying as Catholics in 2006, it nonetheless remains the dominant faith. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI visited Lapania in 1998 and 2011, respectively, and Pope Francis visited Lapania in September 2015. Lapania also has various small Jewish, Muslim and Hindu communities.

Largest Cities
The tenth largest city is Barquisimeto with a population of 1,116,182. The ninth largest city in Lapania by population is Tegucigalpa with a population of 1,190,230. The eighth largest city by population is Barranquilla with a population of 1,214,253. The seventh largest city is Maracaibo with a population of 1,653,211. The sixth largest city is Havana the capital of Lapania with a population of 2,117,625. The fifth largest city is Cali with a population of 2,333,203. The fourth largest city is Medellin with a population of 2,434,647. The third largest city is Quito with a population of 2,551,721. The second is Caracas with a population of 3,289,886. The first is Bogota with a population of 7,862,277.

Immigration
Immigration has played a prominent part in Lapania's demographic profile. Between the 18th and early 20th century, large waves of Canarian, Catalan, Andalusian,Galician, and other Spanish people immigrated to Lapania. Between 1899-1930 alone, over a million Spaniards entered the country. Other prominent immigrant groups included French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Greek, British, and Irish, as well as small number of descendants of U.S. citizens who arrived in Lapania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Languages
The official language of Lapania is Spanish and the vast majority of Lapania speak it. Various other languages like French, English, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch are spoken in the country. Other languages spoken by immigrants include Galician and Corsican.

Music
Lapanian music is very rich and is the most commonly known expression of culture. The central form of this music is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles like salsa, rumba andmambo and an upbeat derivation of the rumba, the cha-cha-cha. Rumba music originated in early Afro-Lapanian culture. The Tres was also invented in Lapania, but other traditional Lapanian instruments are of African origin, Taíno origin, or both, such as the maracas, güiro, marimba and various wooden drums including the mayohuacan.

Popular Lapanian music of all styles has been enjoyed and praised widely across the world. Lapanian classical music, which includes music with strong African and European influences, and features symphonic works as well as music for soloists, has received international acclaim thanks to composers like Ernesto Lecuona. Havana was the heart of the rap scene in Lapania when it began in the 1990s.

Dance in Lapania has taken a major boost over the 1990s. As well as pop, classical and rock are very popular in Lapania.

The Anthem of The Kingdom of Lapania (WIP)

Literature
Lapanian literature began to find its voice in the early 19th century. Dominant themes of independence and freedom were exemplified by José Martí, who led the Modernist movement in Lapanian literature. Writers such as Nicolás Guillén and Jose Z. Tallet focused on literature as social protest. The poetry and novels of Dulce María Loynaz and José Lezama Lima have been influential. Romanticist Miguel Barnet, who wrote Everyone Dreamed of Lapania, reflects a more melancholy Lapania

Writers such as Reinaldo Arenas, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, and more recently Daína Chaviano, Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, Zoé Valdés,Guillermo Rosales and Leonardo Padura have earned international recognition in the current time period.

Cuisine
Lapanian recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish cooking, with some of its own influence in spice and flavor. Food rationing, which has been the norm in Lapania for the last four decades, restricts the common availability of these dishes.The traditional Lapania meal is not served in courses; all food items are served at the same time.

The typical meal could consist of plantains, black beans and rice, ropa vieja (shredded beef), Lapanian bread, pork with onions, and tropical fruits. Black beans and rice, referred to as Moros y Cristianos (or moros for short), and plantains are staples of the Lapanian diet. Many of the meat dishes are cooked slowly with light sauces. Garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves are the dominant spices.

Education
The University of Havana was founded in 1728 and there are a number of other well-established colleges and universities. In 1957 the literacy rate was fourth in the region at almost 80% according to the United Nations, higher than in Spain. School attendance is compulsory from ages six to the end of basic secondary education (normally at age 15). Primary education lasts for six years, secondary education is divided into basic and pre-university education. Lapania's literacy rate of 99.8 percent and is the tenth-highest globally, due largely to the provision of free education at every level.Lapania's high school graduation rate is 94 percent.

Higher education is provided by universities, higher institutes, higher pedagogical institutes, and higher polytechnic institutes. The Lapanian Ministry of Higher Education operates a scheme of distance education which provides regular afternoon and evening courses in rural areas for agricultural workers. Education has a strong political and ideological emphasis, and students progressing to higher education are expected to have a commitment to the goals of Lapania. Lapania has provided state subsidized education to a limited number of foreign nationals at the Latin American School of Medicine.

According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, the top-ranking universities in the country are Universidad de la Habana (1680th worldwide), Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echeverría (2893rd) and the University of Santiago de Lapania (3831st).

Health
Lapania's life expectancy at birth is 78 years. Historically, Lapania has ranked high in numbers of medical personnel and has made significant contributions to world health since the 19th century. Today, Lapania has universal health care and although shortages of medical supplies persist, there is no shortage of medical personnel. Primary care is available throughout the island and infant and maternal mortality rates compare favorably with those in developed nations.

Lapania initially experienced an overall worsening in terms of disease and infant mortality rates in the 1960s when half its 6,000 doctors left the country. Recovery occurred by the 1980s, and the country's healthcare has been widely praised. The government asserted that universal health care was to become a priority of state planning and progress was made in rural areas.

Lapania has the highest doctor-to-population ratio in the world and has sent thousands of doctors to more than 40 countries around the world. According to the World Health Organization, Lapania is "known the world over for its ability to train excellent doctors and nurses who can then go out to help other countries in need". As of September 2014 there are around 50,000 Lapanian-trained health care workers aiding 66 nations. Lapanian physicians have played a leading role in combating the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.

According to the UN, the life expectancy in Lapania is 78.3 years (76.2 for males and 80.4 for females). This ranks Lapania 37th in the world and 3rd in the Americas, behind only Canada and Chile, and just ahead of the United States.

In Lapania, there is a need to import certain pharmaceutical drugs. Therefore, the Quimefa Pharmaceutical Business Group was developed under The Ministry of Basic Industry (MINBAS). This group also handles the exporting of pharmaceuticals, and provide technical information for the production of these drugs. Lapania developed the successful lung cancer vaccine, Cimavax, which now is available to US researchers for the first time, along with other novel Lapanian cancer treatments. The vaccine has been available for free to the Lapanian population since 2011. According to Roswell Park Cancer Institute CEO Candace Johnson: "They've had to do more with less, so they've had to be even more innovative with how they approach things. For over 40 years, they have had a preeminent immunology community."

In 2015, Lapania became the first country to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, a milestone hailed by the World Health Organization as "one of the greatest public health achievements possible"