Ascalon

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History of Ascalon
Ascalon is a nation that has grown significantly since the city of Ashkalon was first settled. Ashkalon has been a settlement since the B.C.s, and used to be controlled by a Urouah people called the Bedouins. However, it was then taken over by Christian Italians in the year 750, and has been hard core Catholic ever since.

Ascalon Proper
This is the original territory of Ascalon. This is where the city of Ashkalon is located, and was once the seat of the most Catholic of Kingdoms. Ascalon Proper is today plagued with a large amount of desertification, as is the rest of Ascalon.


 * Exports:Petroleum and Petroleum Products, Electronics, Citrus, and Natural Gas.
 * Imports: Drinking Water, Food Stuffs
 * Governor: Father Salvatore Torino
 * Political Party in Power: Il partito cristiano democratico
 * State Capitol: Ashkalon
 * Religions: 98% Catholic Christian, 1% Protestant Christian, 1% Other

Cordoba (1388)
Cordoba is home to most of the Spanish population within Ascalon. Cordoba was once part of Frescania, but became independent from Frescan rule in 1173. However, after the War of Cordoban Succesion Cordoba became part of the Divine Kingdom of Ascalon. Cordoba is mostly grasslands, and is home to Ascalon's largest city, Faenza. In the 1950's and 60's, a mafia war was fought in all of Ascalon, but mostly in Cordoba. Today only one mafia still is in existance, Los Muertos Rosas. Little is known about the infamous crime organization, but rumor has it they are becoming active once again.
 * Exports: Armaments, Petroleum and Petroleum Products, Natural Gas, Machinery
 * Imports: Water, Food Stuffs
 * Governor: Martin Contreras
 * Political Party in Power: Los social-demócratas Parte
 * State Capitol: Faenza
 * Religions: 61% Catholic Christian, 28% Protestant Christian, 10% Islamic, 1% Other

Uroduan (1778)
Uroduan is home to almost all of the Uroduah within Ascalon. After the final defeat of the Bedouins in the year 1778, the monarch enacted an edict that forced all of the Muslim population to move to the newly formed state of Uroduan (Uroduan had previously been part of Ascalon Proper). In the year 1951 the Muslim population revolted and almost gained their independence. However the Ascaloni Armed Forces defeated the rebels, but did give the Muslims the rights that the rest of the Ascaloni population had. The Muslims were allowed the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and many more freedoms, including the right to move out of the State of Urdouan. Uroduan is the home of famous Ascaloni actress, Priyanka Chopra.
 * Exports: Textiles, Manufactured Goods, Natural Gas
 * Imports: Drinking Water, Food Stuffs, Electronics
 * Governor: Hussein Chopra
 * Political Party in Power: Los social-demócratas Parte
 * State Capitol: Al As'ad
 * Religions: 97% Islamic, 2% Catholic Christian, 1% Other

Calabria (1778)
Calabria was once home to the Bedouin Sultanate, which was a thorn in the side of Ascalon since the 750s. Eventually however, the Bedouins were defeated in the year 1778 after more than one thousand years of off and on warfare. Today Calabria is a huge tourist attraction, despite being located in the dangerous and un-stable Himyar continent. A prosperous gambling, ferrying, and movie industry keeps Calabria's work force alive.
 * Exports: Films, Petroleum and Petroleum Products
 * Imports: Drinking Water, Food Stuffs
 * Governor: Father Aldo Pavia
 * Political Party in Power: Il partito cristiano democratico
 * State Capitol: Calabria
 * Religions: 43% Catholic Christian, 27% Judaic, 15% Protestant Christian, 13% Islamic, 2% Other

Latium (1882)
Officially made a state in 1882, Latium was once part of Ascalon Proper. Today Latium is home to a thriving Liberal movement, calling for secularization and more freedom's for the Ascaloni people. Latium is also home to the rapidly drying up Laggo della Vergine, one of the few remaining permanent lakes in Ascalon.


 * Exports: Petroleum and Petroleum Products, Natural Gas, Fish


 * Imports: Drinking Water, Food Stuffs


 * Governor: Stephano Ressari


 * Political Party in Power: Il Partito liberale


 * State Capitol: Nuovo Pesaro


 * Religions: 61% Protestant Christian, 9% Judaic, 25% Atheist, 4% Catholic Christian, 1% Other

Ascaloni Culture
Ascalon is a cultural melting pot. It is a society in which Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and even Jews live together and function with one another in a very peaceful and understanding way. While the Catholic majority may 'secretly' rule the nation, they do not take any freedoms away from the other religious minorities.

Education
Public Education in Ascalon is very non-traditional compared to that of other nations. The government does not give very much funding at all to public education. In public schools, children are seperated in the classrooms by religion, and every school must have at least 3 classroom prayer sessions. It is important to note however, that once outside of their classes (for instance during lunch break, in between classes, or during extracurricular activities) students of different religions are allowed and somewhat encouraged to mingle. The main job of public schooling is to teach students the four languages used in Ascalon; Italian, Spanish, Arabic, and Hebrew. Science is largely ignored.

Private schooling is the more popular form of education throughout Ascalon. Most private schools are deeply religious, for instance there are only six private high schools outside of Latium that are not religious in the whole nation. Private schooling is popular during elementary, middle school, high school, and college level. The leading University in Ascalon is St. Peter's, which is oviously deeply Catholic in origin.

Sports
Sporting events are widely popular in Ascalon. The most popular sport in Ascalon by far is Football (soccer). In Cordoba especially, citizens flock to football stadiums and cheer for there favorite teams no matter the weather. There are two teams per state, and all these teams are registered in the Associazione Calcio Nazionali (ACN). The Campionato Nazionale di calcio is held every season to determine who will represent Ascalon in the IFV Champions League World Championship. Since the year 1992 ACN Faenza has dominated the ACN. Even though football is the most popular sport in Ascalon, there is some other popular ones. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Boxing are some of the other popular sporting events in Ascalon. The fights for these sports are often held in the casino's in Calabria.

Food and Drink
Since Ascalon is home to so many different cultures, the differences in food between the states can be quite drastic. From the Italian food eaten in Ascalon Proper and Latium, to the Spanish and Muslim dishes eaten in Cordoba and Uroduan. While there is a thriving fish industry in Calabria, and Latium, an overwhelming portion of food in Ascalon is imported from Germania, Columbia and even from other Himyari states. Alcohol is also a widely different thing depending on which state one finds themselves in. Latium and Calabria have the most sympathetic alcohol laws. Whilst Cordoba has an extremely high sin tax on hard liquor, but fair taxes on lower alcoholic leveled substances. In the states Uroduan and Ascalon Proper however, alcohol is often to expensive to even purchase. Most alcohol is imported from Radilo.

Government of Ascalon
The government of Ascalon is a Parliamentary Democracy. The legislative body is made up of one body, Il Parlamento. The Executive body is made up of a Prime Minister and a Deputy Prime Minister. The Judicial Branch is made up of the Corte Suprema, and hundreds of other smaller courts. Il Corte Suprema is the supreme judicial body of Ascalon, and is appointed by the Prime Minister.



Il Parlamento
The Parliament is made up of 75 Members of Parliament, with each state electing 15 Members of Parliament every 5 years. The Parliament has the power to not only veto any action that the Prime Minister makes, but to send bills to be signed into laws to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister can veto the bill, in which case it gets sent back to Parliament. If Parliament gets 100% of votes FOR the bill, then the bill becomes a law regardless of the Prime Minister's veto. The Prime Minister must get the approval of the Parliament before he/she declares war, increase or decreases taxes, legalizes/criminalize anything, and almost everything else.

The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is elected by the citizens of Ascalon every 5 years. The Prime Minister cannot do much without the approval of Parliament. However he can name his cabinet and appoint the Supreme Justices without Parliament having any say in the matter.

Current Cabinet

 * Minister of Foreign Affairs: Father Dominic Basil
 * Minister of Defense: Father Abraham Edona
 * Minister of Intelligence: Vito Corleto
 * Minister of Education: Father Aldofo Punnci
 * Minister of Finance: Damien Boada
 * Minister of Tourism: Phillipe Colbert
 * Minister of Health: Gustavo Vanderla
 * Minister of Culture: Manuel Ramirez
 * Minister of Energy: Samantha Perez
 * Minister of Welfare: Raphael Torres
 * Minister of Justice: Joseph Vargas
 * Minister of Immigration: Daniel Ortega

Corte Suprema
The Corte Suprema, or Supreme Court, has only really two jobs. Determine whether a new law is constitutional, and to decide the outcome of the most controversial court cases.

Military of Ascalon
The Ascaloni Military is a very big deal in Ascalon.Joining the military is one of the easiest ways for non-Catholics in Ascalon to go to higher education, which would explain why the majoirty of soldiers in Ascalon are Uroduah, Jews, or Hispanics. The Ascaonli Military is divided into three main sections; The Ascaloni Defense Force, The Ascaloni Navy, and The Asacloni Air Force. The defense budget in Ascalon is currently $16 billion, showing how important the military is to the Ascaloni. For an accurate list of organization for all active personnel go to: www.ministry-of-defense.asc

The Ascaloni Defense Force
The ADF is the infantry portion of the Ascaloni Military. Established in 1606 during the Republican Revolution, the ADF is the pride of the Ascaloni Military. Taking full advantage of the latest technologies, the ADF has become a force to be reckoned with in Himyar. The ADF uses a variety of weapons, most of which come from the weapons company Faenza Nacional, which is the main smalls arms dealer for the whole SEDF. In the year 2010 the ADF adopted the FN SCAR as its main service rifle.

Forze Speciali Fanteria
The FSF is the elite forces of the ADF. Established in the year 1610, the FSF has become infamous for its master of stealth guerrilla warfare. The FSF usually operate during the night, using night vision goggles and thermal scopes to their advantage. The main service rifle of the FSF is the FN SCAR L(ight) usually with a silencer attached. The main side arm of the FSF is the FN Five Seven, also normally silence. Currently there are 16,000 active duty FSF operatives in the Ascaloni Military.

The Ascaloni Navy
The overwhelmingly dominate force in the Mare di Dio, the Ascaloni Navy was formed back when Ascalon was a kingdom in the mid-900s. There are two fleets in the Ascaloni Navy; The 1st Fleet is stationed in the Mare di Dio, and its main purpose is to protect Ascaloni oil rigs from mercenary organizations and terrorists. The 2nd Fleet is stationed in the Vostok Sea. The main purpose of 2nd Fleet is reconaissance, using the nuclear subs for observation.
 * 1st Fleet- 1 Destroyers, 3 Cruisers, 5 Frigates, and 8 Corvettes. Admiral Vincent Addiego, CO
 * 2nd Fleet- 1 Destroyer, 5 Frigates, 2 Corvettes, and 2 Nuclear Submarines. Admiral Belsito Macchione, CO

Ascaloni Air Force
The Ascaloni Air Force was established in the year 1930, and is a crucial portion of the Ascaloni Military. Armed with UAVs, and with 500 DAI Kfir fighter-bombers, the AAF is a very modern air force. The main goal of the AAF during combat situations is to bomb the piss out of an enemies infrastructure/military instillations and to provide fire and logistics support for the ADF via UAVs.

Conflicts Involving Ascaloni Military
The following is a list of all the conflicts that the Ascaloni Military has been a part of. Please not that this is only from the founding of the Republic on.
 * Republican Revolution (1606-1608)
 * Eight Bedouin War (1627-1649)
 * Fatimid Invasion (1631)
 * Muhamma Invasion (1632)
 * Ninth Bedouin War (1661-1701)
 * Tenth Bedouin War (1762-1778)
 * The Great Nethian War (1862-1871)
 * Caliphate Uprisings (1911-1913)
 * Uroduan Rebellion (1950-1951)