Accepted: Full | República Baliscana / Baliscan Republic

The extensive Baliscan Republic is one of the largest in Itzamna, located between the grandiose Antis mountains and the fertile Pampas, meeting the cold Handonia to the north. Bordering Pazala to the west, Cajica and Valverde to the east, and Samasil and Doraguay to the South.



The nation first got it's independence in 1803, when the United Provinces of the Rio Balisca declared their independence from Insulo. After Valverde, Cajico, Doraguay, and Hamaguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Balisca.

The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Althena, with Matinenda, Sinope and Insulo providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1840 to 1930.

Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Balisca's history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military factions.

After the Great Adonian War, an era of Duranist populism and direct and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1966. Democracy returned in 1982 after a failed bid to seize the Frias Islands (Islas Frias) by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 1998-2001 that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents.

A current middle power and a prominent Insulonian Euphitzamnan and Northern Cone regional power, Balisca is one of the Adonian major economies and Insulonian Euphitzamna's third-largest. Because of its stability, market size and increasing share of the high-tech sector, Balisca is classified by investors as a middle emerging economy with a "very high" rating on Human Development Index.

Located;
Northern Itzamna, bordering Valverde, Cajico, Samasil, Pazala and Doraguay.
Area; -
Climate;
mostly temperate; arid in west; subantarctic in northeast.
Terrain;
rich plains of the Pampas in southern half, flat to rolling plateau of Hondonia in north, rugged Antis along western border.
Lowest point:
Laguna del Hierro -105 m.
Highest point:
Cerro Jancujagüa 6,960 m (Highest point in Itzamna).
Natural Resources;
fertile plains of the pampas,
lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese,
petroleum, and uranium.
Land Usage;
arable land: 13.68%
permanent crops: 0.36%
other: 85.96% (2011)
Natural Hazards;
Northwestern areas in the Antis subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and west; heavy flooding in some areas;
Volcanism:
volcanic activity in the Antis Mountains along the Pazalan border.
Environment - current issues:
Environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as
deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution.
Notes;
Second-largest country in Itzamna (after Samasil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the North Dacian and the North Cilician Oceans (Strait of *inster name here*, *inster name here* Channel, *inster name here* Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the south to tundra in the far north; Cerro Jancujagüa is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Hierro is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.

Nationality; Noun:
Baliscan(s)
Adjective:
Baliscan
Ethnic Groups;
White (mostly Insulonian and Matinendan) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and indigenous ancestry), Indigneous, or other non-white groups 3%.
Languages;
Insulonian (official), Matinendan, Trentanntian, Bruellan, Etruscan, Sinopian, indigenous (Quichua, Mandupangan)
Religions;
Nominally Matinendan Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%.
Demographics;
Balisca's population continues to grow but at a slower rate because of its steadily declining
birth rate. Balisca's fertility decline began earlier than in the rest of Insulonian Euphitzamna, occurringmost rapidly between the early 20th century and the 1950s and then becoming more gradual.
Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor. While the
population under age 15 is shrinking, the youth cohort - ages 15-24 - is the largest in
Balisca's history and will continue to bolster the working-age population. If this large
working-age population is well-educated and gainfully employed, Balisca is likely to
experience an economic boost and possibly higher per capita savings and investment.

Although literacy and primary school enrollment are nearly universal, grade repetition is problematic and secondary school completion is low. Both of these issues vary widely by region and socioeconomic group.

Balisca has been primarily a country of immigration for most of its history, welcoming
Althenan immigrants after its independence in the 19th century and attracting especially large
numbers from Insulo, Matinenda and Sinope. Althenan immigration diminished in the 1950s, when Balisca's military dictatorships tightened immigration rules and Althenan economies rebounded. Regional migration, however, continued to supply low-skilled workers and today it accounts for three-quarters of Balisca's immigrant population. The first waves of highly skilled Balisca's emigrant workers headed mainly to Shayden and Insulo in the 1960s and 1970s.

Ongoing Althenan crises are driving the return migration of some Baliscans and other
Euphitzamnan nationals, as well as the immigration of Althenans to Itzamna, where
Balisca is a key recipient.

Population;
40,467,204 (July 2013 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 92% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major urban areas - population:
La Plata (capital) 12.728 million; Valencia 1.293 million; Rosada 1.131 million; Amparo 817,000; San Miguel de Tucumán 731,000 (2011).

Country name:
conventional long form: Baliscan Republic
conventional short form: Balisca
local long form: República Baliscana
local short form: Balisca
Government:
Federal presidential constitutional republic.
Capital:
Ciudad Autónoma de la Plata
Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city*; (Antartida e Islas del Daciano Sur)
Independence:
9 July 1804 (from Insulo)*  (recognized the same day in 1812)
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 8 December (1809).
Suffrage:
18-70 years of age; universal and compulsory; 16-17 years of age - optional
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sofia BRACH DE NELSON (since 10 December 2008); Vice
President Juan ANGELES REYES (since 10 December 2012); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Sofia BRACH DE NELSON (since 10 December 2008)
Vice President Juan ANGELES REYES (since 10 December 2012)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second and third term); election last held on 23 October 2012 (next election to be held in October 2016).
election results: Sofia BRACH DE NELSON reelected president;
Legislative branch:
Bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (255 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to serve four-year terms).
elections:
Senate - last held on 23 October 2012 (next to be held on 27 October 2014); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 23 October 2012 (next to be held on 27 October 2014)
Judicial branch:
highest court(s):
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (consists of the court president, vice-president, and 5 judges)
note - Balisca has a system of federal and provincial courts.
Judge selection and term of office:
judges nominated by the president and approved by the Senate; judges serve for life.
Subordinate courts:
federal level appellate, district, and territorial courts; provincial level supreme, appellate, and first instance courts.

Economy - overview:
Balisca benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented
agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest
countries 100 years ago, Balisca suffered during most of the 20th century from recurring
economic crises, persistent fiscal and current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt, and capital flight. A severe depression, growing public and external indebtedness, and an unprecedented bank run culminated in 2000 in the most serious economic, social, and political crisis in the country's turbulent history.
Interim President Rodrigo JIMENEZ KURI declared a default - at the time the largest ever - on the government's foreign debt in December of that year, and abruptly resigned only a few days after taking office. His successor, Ernesto MENDOZA DÍAS, announced an end to the peso's decade-long 1-to-1 peg to the Shaydenite Sent in early 2001. The economy bottomed out that year, with real GDP 18% smaller than in 1998 and almost 60% of Baliscans under the poverty line. Real GDP rebounded to grow by an average 8.5% annually over the subsequent six years, taking advantage of previously idled industrial capacity and labor, an audacious debt restructuring and reduced debt burden, excellent international financial conditions, and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. Inflation also increased, however, during the administration of President Bonifacio NELSON JONES, which responded with price restraints on businesses, as well as export taxes and restraints, and beginning in 2007, with understating inflation data. Sofia BRACH DE NELSON succeeded her husband as President in late
2007, and the rapid economic growth of previous years began to slow sharply the following year as government policies held back exports and the world economy fell into recession. The
economy in 2010 rebounded strongly from the 2009 recession, but has slowed since late 2011
even as the government continued to rely on expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, which
have kept inflation in the double digits. The government expanded state intervention in the
economy throughout 2012. In May the Congress approved the nationalization of the oil companies present in Balisca. The government expanded formal and informal measures to restrict imports during the year, including a requirement for pre-registration and pre-approval of all imports. In July the government also further tightened currency controls in an effort to bolster foreign reserves and stem capital flight.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$755.3 billion (2012 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$18,400 (2012 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Grains, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wine, wheat; livestock.
Industries:
Food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals,
printing, metallurgy, steel
Labor force:
17.05 million
Unemployment rate:
7.2% (2012 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
25.3% (2012 est.)

Disputes - international:
Balisca continues to assert its claims to the Trentannian-administered Frias Islands (Islas Frias) in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Frias in 1979, but in 1992 agreed to no longer seek settlement by force; Trentannia continues to reject Baliscan requests for sovereignty talks; territorial claim in Arktici partially overlaps Trentannian and Pazalan claims; uncontested dispute between Samasil and Doraguay over Samasileria Island in the Daquas/Dacuám River leaves the tripoint with Balisca in question; the joint boundary commission, established by Pazala and Balisca in 2002 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Antie Northern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Norte); contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border with Valverde and Cajica.

Internet country code:
.ba

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