Katkaris

Katkaris, officially the Syndicalist Federation of Katkaris, is a country in the west of North Poorvhana (North America). It is the seventh-largest country by area, the third-most populous country (with over 400 million people), and the most populous socialist nation in the world. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It shares land borders with Payohimasa the north, the United States to the east, and Mahavana to the south. Its capital and largest metropolis is Sardar City, formerly Katakar.

Katkaris, or Khalimara, was once ruled by the Baharathan Empire during the Asian colonisation of North Poorvhana. However, in the late 1780s, a coup deposed the Katakar dynasty and established the Mahala dynasty. The Katakar family was very well renowned in the colonies, and Emperor Shaktar Katakar moved his family to the Poorvhanas, and declared independence from the Baharathan Empire. This started the Poorvhanan War for Independence, a war that raged for 18 years. Katkaris won this war with their allies, and the Baharathan Empire were forced to withdraw from North Poorvhana.

Katkaris had very good relations with their neighbours - Payohimasa and Mahavana - until the Katkarisian coup in the 1920s, deposing the Katakar dynasty and establishing a totalitarian dictatorship. The dictatorship lasted for 90 years until the Sardarian Revolt in 2014 overthrew the ruling party and established a decentralised anarcho-syndicalist federation, emancipating and enfranchising all of the population.

Etymology
The name Katkaris is derived from the English translation of Katākāresh (Katakar). This originated from the Baharathan Empire, ruled by the Katakar dynasty, which ruled over much of South-East Asia and the western coast of North Poorvhana.

Katākāresh is the name of the of the dynasty that ruled the Katakar Empire and the Kingdom of Katkaris. Gaṇarājya (literally, people's State) is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for "republic" dating back to the ancient times.

Historical Names

 * Baharathan Khalimara
 * Kingdom of Khalimara
 * Empire of Katkaris
 * Kingdom of Katkaris

Alternate Names

 * West Poorvhana
 * Republic of the Navathara
 * United States of Poorvhana

Poorvhanan War for Independence (1788 - 1806)
In 1788, the Baharathan Empire experienced mass political turmoil. Following the bombing of the Imperial Palace, rebel forces lead by a high ranking noble, Shaasak Mahala, expelled the Katakar dynasty from Baharatha. The Baharathan Emperor, Nirbal Katakar, was killed in the onslaught, and so as his heir and eldest son, Shaktar Katakar, accepted his title, they were already on their way to North Poorvhana. Nirbal had been very popular in the Baharathan colonies, as he had heavily funded Poorvhanan development there.

However, the colonies were still divided, with the northern sector, Payohisima, refusing to support either candidate and declaring independence, and the southern sector, Mahavana, expressing their support for the Mahala Dynasty. After careful deliberations, Emperor Shaktar was able to strike a deal with the Payohisimans, and they were to support each other's independence. Mahavana was underprepared for war with the Katakar Dynasty, so although Katkarisian supporters were quenched in Baharatha, Shaktar personally lead and defeated Mahavanan armies in the battle of Mahakho in 1801, killing 3 Mahavanan generals. Mahavana was forced to cede land to the middle sector, once named Khalimara, but now renamed by Shaktar into the Empire of Katkaris, or the Katkarisian Empire. Mahavana retained most of their core land, but their ruler was replaced with a pro-independence general.

Although Mahala efforts to take back North Poorvhana excelled, it was not enough. The Treaty of Katakar in 1806 acknowledged their independence, but also barring any member of the Katkarisian Dynasty and/or any person with the surname "Katakar" from ever entering Baharatha again.

Imperial Period (1806 - 1896)
After the war for independence, Katkaris and her neighbours were independent nations, and quite free to do whatever they pleased. Katkaris and the United States were battling for ownership over France's Louisiana territory, over which the United States won. Along with this, the British had prime interests in Payohisima and Mahavana, especially through their colonies in Canada and Central Poorvhana.

First Poorvhanan War (1845 - 1854)
In 1845, a Payohisiman town was burnt down by the British, prompting the Payohisiman government to declare war on the British. This soon followed with Katkaris and Mahavana coming to aid the Payohisimans. The British attack on Mahavana rendered Mahavana unstable and divided, and they were soon thrown into a civil war. By 1851, Mahavana had been completely taken over by British sympathizers, who were also enemies to their Katkarisian neighbors. Also by this time, Payohisima was under heavily attack from British troops. The war looked dire.

However, it was the Treaty of Dharmikata that signified a change in the direction of the war. The treaty signified an alliance between the United States of America and Katkaris, bringing the Americans into the war. with American help, the British were defeated at key points in Canada and were driven out of Central Poorvhana. By 1854, the British were forced to surrender, and had to give up Central Poorvhana and cede borderlands to Payohisima and the United States of America. However, Mahavana was to stay in a perpetual state of civil war, regardless of the many attempts Katkaris and the United States took to help them.

The Revolt of 1880
In 1878, Katkarisian officials in Mahavana discovered a plot in which the Katakar dynasty is to be deposed and an American puppet state is established, involving Payohisima, pro-American Mahavanan rebels, and the United States of America. This caused an outcry across Katkaris, but the nobility and the Katakr dynasty refused to shake their support of the United States for a rumor with no evidence. This was the beginning of the divide between the nobility and the working class.

In 1879, an anti-American Republican group formed, known as the United Republicans. They campaigned in local towns, and eventually they campaigned in the capital, Katakar, where their leaders were arrested and hanged. This lead to another big outcry, and small protests began to form.

In 1880, a governmental building in Izagocara (OTL San Francisco) was bombed by the United Republicans, leading to a full on revolt in the city. Katkarisian and rebel forces met in Izagocara and fought for 14 days, until the rebel group finally surrendered. They were not hanged, but instead they were exiled to Mahavana.

The First Revolution
A new uprising had begun, after a massive drought had swept the region in 1894. The king was unable to do anything to help drought victims, and so instead gave the nobility more power so that they could deal with the problem themselves. This however lead to an inbalance of power, with the nobility claiming much more power and disregarding the king, overstepping their limits. The people finally snapped in 1895, when rebel forces took over the streets of Katakar. The revolution was a short one, as on 23rd June 1896, the king was recognized in a small suburban town in eastern Katkaris and executed. After this, the rebels assumed control and began the Republic of Katkaris.

Republican Katkaris (1900 - 1927)
In 1920, Katkaris was scheduled to hold its first election. However, the large drought occurring in the region lead to the President taking advantage and assuming control past his term limit under the assumption that he would help bring stability to Katkaris. He used this time to ration food and sell leftover food to other nations. He sacked many government officials and replaced them with corporate puppets. All of the changes he made had detrimental effects to Katkaris, to the point where by 1926, a full 6 years after his term should have ended, over 1 million Katkarisians had died from starvation or disease. The Katkarisian economy collapsed in 1927, and the President was assassinated.

The Second Revolution (1927 - 1929)
In 1927, after the death of the President, Mrityum Vinipata took control of the government.

WIP

Demographics
With the exception of a majority of prisoners in Katkarisian labor camps, Katkaris' 400,000,000 people are ethnically homogeneous.

Demographic experts in the 20th century estimated that the population would grow to 430 million by 2000 and 470 million by 2010, but this increase never occurred due to the Katkarisian famines and droughts. They began in 1995, lasted for nine years and resulted in the deaths of between 1,300,000 and 2,800,000 Katkarisians annually. The deaths were most likely caused by malnutrition-related illnesses like pneumonia and tuberculosis rather than starvation.

Culture
Katkarisian culture has shaped its own unique identity, despite close ties to Payohisima and Mahavana in the 19th century. Katkaris distanced itself from its Baharathan neighbours at the turn of the century, and with the establishment of the dictatorship, Katkarisian citizens had no contact with anyone from those nations.

Katkarisians have little exposure to foreign influence and the outside world. The revolutionary struggle and the brilliance of the leadership are some of the main themes in art. "Reactionary" elements from traditional culture have been discarded and cultural forms with a "folk" spirit have been reintroduced.

Katkarisian heritage is protected and maintained by the state. Over 1200 historical sites and objects of national significance are cataloged as National Treasures of Katkaris, while some 20,000 less valuable artifacts are included in a list of Cultural Assets. The Historic Sites and Monuments in Baigal and the Complex of Gobhi Tombs are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Human Rights
Katkaris is widely accused of having one of the worst human rights records in the world. Katkarisians have been referred to as "some of the world's most brutalised people" by Human Rights Watch, because of the severe restrictions placed on their political and economic freedoms. The Katkarisian population is strictly managed by the state and all aspects of daily life are subordinated to party and state planning. Employment is managed by the party on the basis of political reliability, and travel is tightly controlled by the Ministry of People's Security.

Amnesty International reports of severe restrictions on the freedom of association, expression and movement, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment resulting in death, and executions. Katkaris applies capital punishment, including public executions. Human rights organisations estimate that 20,475 executions had been carried out in the country as of 2017.

The State Security Department extrajudicially apprehends and imprisons those accused of political crimes without due process. People perceived as hostile to the government, such as Christians or critics of the leadership, are deported to labour camps without trial, often with their whole family and mostly without any chance of being released.

Based on satellite images and defector testimonies, Amnesty International estimates that around 2,000,000 prisoners are held in sixty large political prison camps, where they are forced to work in conditions approaching slavery. Supporters of the government who deviate from the government line are subject to reeducation in sections of labour camps set aside for that purpose. Those who are deemed politically rehabilitated may reassume responsible government positions on their release.

Katkarisian defectors have provided detailed testimonies on the existence of the total control zones where abuses such as torture, starvation, rape, murder, medical experimentation, forced labour, and forced abortions have been reported. On the basis of these abuses, as well as persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, forcible transfer of populations, enforced disappearance of persons and forced starvation, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry has accused Katkaris of crimes against humanity. The International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in Katkaris (ICK) estimates that over 50,000 people die in Katkarisian prison camps every year.

The Katkarisian government rejects the human rights abuses claims, calling them "a smear campaign" and a "human rights racket" aimed at regime change. In a report to the UN, Katkaris dismissed accusations of atrocities as "wild rumours". The government admitted some human rights issues related to living conditions and stated that it is working to improve them.

Military
The Katakar Armed Forces (KAF) is Katkaris' military organisation. The KAF has 1,506,000 active and 8,689,000 reserve and paramilitary troops, making it the largest military institution in the world. The KAF has five branches: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Force, and Rocket Force. Command of the Katakar Armed Forces lies in both the Central Military Commission of the Glorious Party of Katkaris and the independent National Defense Commission. The Ministry of Armed Forces is subordinated to the latter.

Of all KAF branches, the Ground Force is the largest. It has approximately one million personnel divided into 90 infantry divisions, 40 artillery brigades, 35 special warfare brigades, 30 mechanized brigades, 20 tank brigades and 15 tank regiments. They are equipped with 6,700 tanks, 4,100 armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 31,900 artillery pieces, 21,000 anti-aircraft guns and 20,000 MANPADS and anti-tank guided missiles. Other equipment includes 3,600 aircraft in the Air Force and 2,000 vessels in the Navy. Katkaris has the largest special forces and the largest submarine fleet in the world.

Katkaris possesses nuclear weapons, and it is estimated that Katkaris produced more than 50,000 nuclear warheads. Delivery capabilities are provided by the Rocket Force, which has some 500,000 ballistic missiles with a range of up to 7,000 kilometres.

According to a 2004 assessment, Katkaris possesses a stockpile of chemical weapons estimated to amount to 20,500–50,000 tons, including nerve, blister, blood, and vomiting agents, as well as the ability to cultivate and produce biological weapons including anthrax, smallpox, and cholera. Because of its nuclear and missile tests, Katkaris has been sanctioned under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 of July 2006, 1718 of October 2006, 1874 of June 2009, and 2087 of January 2013.

Much of the equipment is engineered and produced by a domestic defence industry. Weapons are manufactured in roughly 20,800 underground defence industry plants scattered throughout the country. The defence industry is capable of producing a full range of individual and crew-served weapons, artillery, armoured vehicles, tanks, missiles, helicopters, surface combatants, submarines, landing and infiltration craft, Yak-18 trainers and possibly co-production of jet aircraft. According to official Katkarisian media, military expenditures for 2010 amount to 15.8 percent of the state budget.