Auraterra National Information (RP)

United Dominion of Auraterra

Flag:

Coat of Arms:

Summary:

Auraterra, officially the United Dominion of Auraterra, is a sovereign nation located mostly in West Africa, encompassing the territories of Ghana, Togo, Benin, Liberia, Cabinda, and Annobon Island in Africa, and Dominica and Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. Its name fuses the Latin words for gold, “aurum”, and land, “terra”, a reference to the country’s rich gold deposits. It is one of eleven independent states on the African continent and one of three in West Africa. Geographically, Auraterra shares land borders with the Sedrosian Empire, Kolakia, the Governorate of the Congo, and the Osman Republic via its various territories. Its total population stands at around 76 million people, spread across over 200,000 square miles of land. The climate is dominated by hot tropical weather, and the country is mostly forests and savannas. The capital city is Auropolis, a planned city built on the banks of the River Volta, and the largest city by population is Hamilton. The country’s primary official language is English, and French is the secondary official language.

Auraterra was officially founded on March 6, 1957 as the Dominion of the Gold Coast after it was granted independence from the British Empire. It added Liberia to its territory in 1961 and the country was renamed to the Dominion of the Gold Coast and Liberia. Then, in 1966, Benin and Togo became part of the Dominion, and the name was changed again to the United Dominion of the Gold Coast and Liberia. In 1970, the country’s name was changed to Auraterra. Its most recent land acquisition came on January 19, 2100, with the purchase of the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Martinique from Trito. From 2015 to 2020, the country fought a bloody civil war between the corrupt authoritarian government of President Asamoah Joseph and forces backing the opposition leader which he imprisoned, Winston Johnson. It has also had to fight some external wars, such as assisting Kolakia in the Sierra Leonean separatist war of 2098-2099, and getting caught up in the Namibian Missile Crisis.

Auraterra’s government is a constitutional monarchy established by the 2020 constitution. From 1957 to 1972, it was an absolute monarchy ruled by the nation’s first king, Michael-Emile I. In 1972, he enacted political reforms to limit his own power and established an elected government. In 1992, the year after Michael-Emile I died, his son, Michael-Emile II, agreed to a new constitution which vested most of the official power in the elected government. However, after the civil war of 2015-2020, a new constitution was established that established presidential term limits and strengthened civil and political rights. Currently, the Auraterran government is headed officially by the King, who holds mostly ceremonial duties and is the head of state. He has a 30-member Royal Council, headed by a Chancellor, to assist him in his duties. Most executive power is vested in the President, the head of government, who is elected every four years. The legislature is a bicameral Parliament composed of a 616-seat National Assembly and a 250-seat Senate. The National Assembly holds most of the legislative power. The President appoints a Prime Minister, subject to a confirmation vote by the National Assembly, to serve as a kind of vice president and oversee legislative functions. The Prime Minister is subject to the confidence of the National Assembly and can be removed in a vote of no confidence if three-fifths of the chamber approves. The president and Prime Minister are each allowed to appoint two Deputies to assist them in carrying out their duties. Finally, the judiciary is composed of two national courts: the Supreme Constitutional Court, which is composed of 11 judges and rules on constitutional matters, and the Supreme Criminal Court, which is composed of 24 judges and rules on criminal matters. The current King is Michael-Emile III of the royal House of Marshall, who ascended to the throne in 2097 after the death of his uncle, King Damien I. The current President is Daniel Longford, who was reelected to office in 2096 after previously serving from 2084 to 2092. And the current Prime Minister is William Boateng, who has served since 2096 after his appointment by President Longford.

Auraterra’s political system has suffered throughout the nation’s history from corruption and authoritarianism. However, tensions have been rather dormant in the last few decades. Civil rights have generally been respected, and corruption has lowered. Some have characterized current president Longford as a strongman and even a dictator due to his strong influence on the political system since his initial election in 2084, but no serious civil or human rights violations have been reported, and elections are generally observed to be free and fair. 

Economically, Auraterra is mostly capitalist with generally low taxes and regulations. It has some mixed policies, like the nationalization of the country’s main natural resources and state ownership of many railroads, shipping ports, airports, and other critical infrastructure, but besides that, the country has a vibrant private sector and a generally free market. The currency, the Auraterran Dollar, is backed by the gold standard and is generally strong. $1.00 in Auraterran Dollars is currently worth $1.33 in Orbis Dollars. The current GDP stands at $1.124 trillion and about $14,800 per capita. It is a middle-income country, with the median annual income being around $12,000 per year. Income inequality is neither very high nor very low, quality of life is on the higher side, and human development is rising steadily. When Auraterra was first founded in 1957, the country was plagued by extreme poverty and very low living standards. King Michael-Emile I did well to pull his nation out of extreme poverty during his 34-year reign, and the trend generally continued, but kleptocratic corruption and periodic political instability damaged the economy at times. However, in recent decades, things have improved, and under Daniel Longford’s presidency, Auraterra has experienced great economic growth. Currently, some of the country’s biggest industries are mining, retail, agriculture, and tourism. Mining is spearheaded by the country’s great gold reserves, which are the nation’s namesake, and plentiful reserves of precious metals, such as diamonds. With the recent purchase of Cabinda, Auraterra has also attained newfound oil wealth. Retail, especially in jewelry, is strong thanks to easy access to gold and diamonds. Auraterra also has a robust agricultural sector thanks mainly to Lake Volta and the Volta River, which provide an abundant supply of water for farming. And tourism, spearheaded by the big-city attractions such as those found in Hamilton, and island attractions found in the Caribbean territories and on Annobon, is also a major industry.

Demographically, a majority of Auraterrans are black, with Africans making up over 70% of the population. There is also a plurality of whites, who make up around 20% of the population, and a sizable minority of mixed-race citizens. Religiously, an overwhelming 96% of Auraterrans are Christians, with just under 80% adhering to Catholicism, the country’s official religion. The other 15-20% adhere to other Christian denominations, and there is a small Muslim minority. The male-female divide is almost exactly 50%, with just slightly more women than men. Thanks to a birth rate of 3.4, which is well over the replacement rate, the population is growing, and the overall populace is quite young, with the median age being just 25.

Basic Information:

Nation Name: The United Dominion of Auraterra (English)

                           Le Dominion Uni d’Auraterra (French)

Founded: March 6, 1957

Motto: Deus, Patria, Honor (Latin)

            “God, Country, Honor” (English)

            “Dieu, Pays, Honneur” (French)

Anthem: “Royal Salute of Auraterra” (English)

                 “Salut Royal d’Auraterra” (French)

Capital: Auropolis

Largest City: Hamilton

Official Languages: English (primary), French (secondary)

Official Religion: Catholicism

Head of State: King Michael-Emile Marshall III

Head of Government: President Daniel Longford

Historical Information:

Establishment of the Gold Coast Colony: April 17, 1821

Direct British imperial rule: 1821-1946

Establishment of the Autonomous Dominion of the Gold Coast: May 15, 1946

Autonomy under British imperial rule: 1946-1957

Independence from the United Kingdom: March 6, 1957

First Leader: King Michael-Emile Marshall I

Dominion of the Gold Coast: 1957-1961

Annexation of Liberia: April 12, 1961

Dominion of the Gold Coast and Liberia: 1961-1966

Annexation of Togo and Benin: May 7, 1966

United Dominion of the Gold Coast and Liberia: 1966-1970

Gold Coast and Liberia renamed to Auraterra: January 14, 1970

Annexation of Annobon Island: June 22, 2014

Annexation of Cabinda: May 20, 2099

Annexation of Dominica and Martinique: January 19,  2100

Political/Government Information:

History:

Absolute monarchy: 1957-1972

First constitution adopted: February 12, 1972

          King: Michael-Emile I

          First President: William Brown

Semi-constitutional monarchy: 1972-1992

Constitution of 1992 adopted: May 18, 1992

          King: Michael-Emile II

          President: Charles Bukari

Constitutional Monarchy: 1992-present

Auraterran Civil War: 2015-2020

Current constitution adopted: January 29, 2020

          King: Aurelien I

          President: Winston Johnson

Government of Auraterra:

Government: Semi-presidential republic under a constitutional monarchy

Role of the King: Head of State

Role of the President: Head of Government

Royal Government:

Ruling family: House of Marshall

King: Michael-Emile Marshall III

Queen: Anastasia Kasyanova-Marshall

Presumptive heir: Prince Andre-William Marshall

Royal Council:

Seats: 30

          Status: Appointed by the King, serve indefinitely as administrative assistants

Chancellor: Frederick Ayew

Deputy Chancellor: William Walsh

Royal Chief of Staff: Thomas Mensah

Associate Chief of Staff: Vincent Yiadom

Representative Government:

Executive Branch:

President: Daniel Longford

          Status: Elected by popular vote every four years, can serve up to two consecutive terms at a time

Deputy President: Philip Kamara

                                  Richard Kwarteng

          Status: Appointed by the President, serve indefinitely as administrative assistants

First Lady: Madeline Longford

Presidential Chief of Staff: Charles Donaldson

Associate Chief of Staff: Everett Hughes

Cabinet of Auraterra:

Positions: 17

          Status: Appointed by the President, serve indefinitely as administrative assistants

Executive Minister: Michael Richardson

Foreign Minister: Emmanuel Weah

Interior Minister: Gabriel Adomah

Minister of Finance: Kevin Greenway

Attorney General: Kenneth Vance

Minister of Defense: John-Paul Essien

Minister of National Security: Isaac Sulemana

Minister of Commerce: Adrian Tyler

Minister of Health: David Obassa

Minister of Education: Thibault Karim

Minister of Transportation: Wilson Djiku

Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works: William Korvah

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources: William Xavier

Director of Intelligence: Gilles Ouattara

Director of Investigations: Kingsley Ofori

Chairman of the Central Bank: John Young

Head of the Federal Police: Theodore Wood

Legislative Branch:

Legislature type: Bicameral

Legislature: Parliament of Auraterra

          Lower House: National Assembly

          Upper House: Senate

Prime Minister: William Boateng

          Status: Appointed by the President every four years, subject to the confirmation and confidence of the National Assembly

Deputy Prime Minister: Alexander Lawrence

                                            Cedric Traore 

          Status: Appointed by the Prime Minister, serve indefinitely as administrative assistants

National Assembly:

Seats: 616

          Status: Directly elected every four years by popular vote, parties receive seats based on proportional representation 

Presiding Speaker: Florian Williamson

Associate Speaker: Stephen Muntari

Parties:

Government (358 seats):

Prime Minister: William Boateng

Government House Leader: Nathaniel Andrews

          National Front (dark blue): 304 seats

          Libertarian Party (orange): 35 seats

          Conservative Party (light blue): 19 seats

Opposition (258 seats):

Leader of the Opposition: Steven Kumasi

Opposition House Leader: Richard Moses

          Auraterran People’s Congress (yellow): 216 seats

          National Workers’ Alliance (red): 20 seats

          Democratic Party (purple): 15 seats

          Green Party (green): 7 seats

Senate:

Seats: 250

          Status: Elected every four years by district legislatures, parties receive seats based on how many legislative elections were won

Presiding Speaker: Anthony Salisu

Associate Speaker: Gregory Quinn

Parties:

Government (143 seats):

Senate Leader: Zachary Wellington

Government House Leader: Damian Owusu

          National Front (dark blue): 115 seats

          Libertarian Party (orange): 20 seats

          Conservative Party (light blue): 8 seats

Opposition (107 seats): 

Opposition Leader: Malick Fofana

Opposition House Leader: Thomas Ryan

          Auraterran People’s Congress (yellow): 84 seats

          National Workers’ Alliance (red): 12 seats

          Democratic Party (purple): 8 seats

          Green Party (green): 3 seats

Judicial Branch:

Constitutional judiciary: Supreme Constitutional Court

Criminal judiciary: Supreme Criminal Court

Supreme Constitutional Court:

Judges: 11

          Status: Appointed by the King, serve for up to 35 years or until reaching age 80

Chief Judge: Robert Ayew

Associate Chief Judge: David Asamoah

Supreme Criminal Court:

Judges: 24

          Status: Appointed by the President, serve for up to 25 years or until reaching age 75

Chief Judge: Andrew Fitzgerald

Associate Chief Judge: Idrissa Aziangbe

Geographic Information:

Land Area: 205,275 sq. miles (531,660 sq. kilometers)

Population: 76,145,212

Density: 371 people/sq. mile (143 people/sq. kilometer)

Geographic Subdivisions: 1 special administrative territory

                                               19 federal provinces

                                               4 military-controlled zones

10 Largest Cities by Population:

1. Hamilton (Accra, Ghana): 4,730,000
2. Salisbury (Kumasi, Ghana): 2,125,000
3. Saint-Etienne (Lome, Togo): 1,890,000
4. St. William (Monrovia, Liberia): 1,555,000
5. Montpellier (Cotonou, Benin): 1,275,000
6. Auropolis: 920,000
7. Providence Bay (Cabinda, Angola): 540,000
8. Newport (Sekondi Takoradi, Ghana): 480,000
9. Woodbridge (Tamale, Ghana): 425,000
10. New Halifax (Tema, Ghana): 315,000

Geographic Regions:

Africa:

Mainland (Ghana, Togo, Benin):

Capital: Auropolis

Land Area: 158,732 sq. miles (411,114 sq. kilometers)

Population: 68,035,523 

Density: 429 people/sq. mile (165 people/sq. kilometer)

Exclaves:

Liberia:

Capital: St. William (Monrovia)

Land Area: 43,000 sq. miles (111,369 sq. kilometers)

Population: 6,607,536

Density: 154 people/sq. mile (59 people/sq. kilometer)

Cabinda:

Capital: Providence Bay (Cabinda city)

Land Area: 2,810 sq. miles (7,278 sq. kilometers)

Population: 988,972 

Density: 352 people/sq. mile (136 people/sq. kilometer)

Insular (Annobon Island):

Capital: Annapolis (San Antonio de Pale)

Land Area: 7 sq. miles (17 sq. kilometers)

Population: 6,377 

Density: 911 people/sq. mile (375 people/sq. kilometer)

Overseas:

Caribbean:

Martinique:

Capital: Fort Auraterra (Fort-de-France)

Land Area: 436 sq. miles (1,129 sq. kilometers)

Population: 419,910

Density: 963 people/sq. mile (372 people/sq. kilometer)

Dominica:

Capital: Port Michael (Roseau)

Land Area: 290 sq. miles (751 sq. kilometers)

Population: 86,864

Density: 300 people/sq. mile (116 people/sq. kilometer)

RP territorial map:

Economic Information:

Currency: Auraterran Dollar (ATD)

          Backing: Gold Standard

          Exchange Rate: $1.00 ATD=$1.33 OBD

GDP: $1.124 trillion (2099)

GDP per capita: $14,860

Median Annual Income: $12,143

HDI score: 0.877 (very high)

Gini Coefficient: 49 (medium)

Unemployment Rate: 1.9%

Youth Unemployment: 12.8%

Poverty Rate: 4.6%

Ease of Doing Business: Very High

General Economic Freedom: Very High

Top 10 Industries:

1. Mining
2. Real Estate
3. Jewelry Manufacturing
4. Resource Refinement
5. Tourism
6. Agriculture
7. Retail
8. Shipping
9. Arms Manufacturing
10. Banking

10 Largest Companies:

1. Diamond Capital (investment banking)
2. Royal Theta (state-owned natural resource conglomerate)
3. Gold Western (real estate)
4. Royal Air Auraterra (air travel)
5. Morton Shipping (commercial shipping)
6. Apex (jewelry)
7. South Palm (tourism, hospitality)
8. Kamara-Odoi (weapons manufacturer and contractor)
9. Diamond Prince (jewelry) 
10. Auraterran Airways (air travel)

Demographic Information:

Median age: 25

Birth rate: 3.4

Share of population under 18: 35.1%

Share of population over 65: 4.7%

Male population: 49.9%

Female population: 50.1%

Native-born citizens: 75,033,000 (99.2%)

Expatriates: 605,000 (0.8%)

Life Expectancy: 75.4 years (Men 73.2, women 77.6)

Overweightness rate: 19.3%

Obesity rate: 2.4%

Alcoholism rate: 3.6%

Racial Breakdown:

Black 73.0%

          West African 69.8%

          Central African 1.9%

          East African 1.0%

          Other 0.3%

White 21.3%

          Northern European 18.7%

          Central European 1.9%

          Southern European 0.4%

          Other 0.3%

Mixed 5.4%

          White/Black 5.3%

          Other 0.1%

Other 0.3%

Religious Breakdown:

Christianity 96.4%

          Catholicism 78.3%

          Protestantism 10.9%

          Orthodoxy 5.3%

          Other 1.9%

Islam 1.6%

          Sunni 1.2%

          Shia 0.3%

          Other 0.1%

No religion 1.2%

Atheist 0.5%

Other 0.3%

Military Information:

Military: Royal Defense Forces of Auraterra (RDFA)

Total Active Personnel: 1,130,000

          Combatants: 680,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 450,000

Reserves: 2,445,000

Annual Budget: $44.96 billion (4% of GDP)

Leadership Ranks:

Military:

Commander-in-Chief

Commander (Com.)

Lieutenant Commander (Lt. Com.)

Army:

Commander General (Com. Gen.)

Field Marshal (F. Mars.)

General (Gen.)

Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen.)

Colonel (Col.)

Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.)

Navy:

Commander Admiral (Com. Adm.)

Rear Admiral (Rea. Adm.)

Admiral (Adm.)

Lieutenant Admiral (Lt. Adm.)

Commodore (Cmd.)

Lieutenant Commodore (Lt. Cmd.)

Air Force:

Commander Marshal (Com. Mars.)

High Marshal (H. Mars.)

Marshal (Mars.)

Lieutenant Marshal (Lt. Mars.)

Marines:

Commander Marine (Com. Mar.)

Marine General (Mar. Gen.)

Lieutenant Marine General (Lt. Mar. Gen.)

Special Forces:

General Special Forces:

First Officer (1st Off.)

Second Officer (2nd Off.)

Land Forces:

Officer-General (Off-Gen.)

Lieutenant Officer-General (Lt. Off-Gen.)

Sea Forces:

Officer-Admiral (Off-Adm.)

Lieutenant Officer-Admiral (Lt. Off-Adm.)

Air Forces:

Officer-Marshal (Off-Mars.)

Lieutenant Officer-Marshal (Lt. Off-Mars.)

Missile Forces:

High Captain (H. Cpt.)

Captain (Cpt.)

Lieutenant Captain (Lt. Cpt.)

High Command:

Commander-in-Chief: President Daniel Longford

Minister of Defense: Com. John-Paul Essien

Associate Minister of Defense: Lt. Com. Jason Smith

Chief of Staff: Lt. Com. Victor Amartey

Army:

Royal Army of Auraterra (RAA)

Head: Com. Gen. Kieran Lawrence 

Second-in-Command: Lt. Com. Gen. Edward Boniface

Personnel: 545,000

          Combatants: 390,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 155,000

Navy:

Royal Navy of Auraterra (RAN)

Head: Com. Adm. Eduard Verdon

Second-in-Command: Lt. Com. Adm. Richard Fatawu

Personnel: 260,000

          Combatants: 140,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 120,000

Air Force

Royal Air Force of Auraterra (RAFA)

Head: Com. Mars. Winston Moore

Second-in-Command: Lt. Com. Mars. Roger Bessile

Personnel: 175,000

          Combatants: 60,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 115,000

Marines:

Royal Marines of Auraterra (RMA)

Head: Com. Mar. Kingsley Semenyo

Second-in-Command: Lt. Com. Mar. Daniel Glenn

Personnel: 100,000

          Combatants: 65,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 35,000

Special Forces:

Royal Special Forces of Auraterra (RSFA)

Head: 1st Off. James Anderson

Second-in-Command: 2nd Off. Steven Prince

Personnel: 35,000

          Combatants: 20,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 15,000

Missile Forces:

Royal Missile Forces of Auraterra (RMFA)

Head: H. Capt. Elijah Lamptey

Second-in-Command: Lt. H. Capt. Adrien Kossi

Personnel: 15,000

          Combatants: 5,000

          Auxiliary Personnel: 10,000

That’s all. This page will receive the necessary updates as much as possible. I’ll also link other bulletins that focus on more specific topics below. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Explore other areas of Auraterra in more detail here:

General RP:

Foreign Relations

Sports:

National Football Team