South Torbia

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South Torbia
Flag
Capital	Tehran
Largest city	Tehran (12 million)
Official languages	58.0% Persian Dialects 26.0% Turkic Dialects 9.0% Kurdish 2.0% Luri 1.0% Baluchi 1.0% Arabic 1.0% Kalarian 2.0% Other
Ethnic groups	51.0% Persian 24.0% Atropian 8.0% Gilaki or Mazandarani 7.0% Kurd 3.0% Arab 2.0% Lur 2.0% Baluch 2.0% Turkmen 1.0% Other
Religion	89.0% Shia Muslim 9.0% Sunni Muslim 2.0% Other
Demonym	Arianian
Government	Theocracy
• Supreme Leader	Ayatollah Mahmood Mekhenei
• President	Ahmad Moudin
Legislature	Unicameral Legislature
Theocracy
Area
• Total	588,764 sq mi (1,524,890 km2)
Population
• July 2016 estimate	8,372,373 (129th)
• Density	8,372,373/sq mi (3,232,591.3/km2) (167th)
GDP	2016 estimate
• Total	$85.77 billion
Time zone	WAT
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Ariana is a true theocracy, with every significant political action affected by the clerical class. A brutally efficient military ensures the continuation of the current power structure, while a sham representative government appeases or distracts Western interests. Ariana’s military is second only to Donovia in strength, and regularly exercises dominance and maintains connections with criminal and terror groups. Reportedly, Ariana has nuclear weapons and three identified nuclear sites. Ariana possesses massive oil and gas reserves in its southwest region along the Persian Gulf, and provides relatively modern infrastructure with big cities and a complex transportation architecture. Ariana’s government is aggressive, capable, revolutionary, and intent on spreading its vision of Islamic governance and the establishment of a new Arianian hegemony throughout the region. The majority of Arianians are Shia Muslim, and all citizens suffer from a lack of information due to the government’s strict regulations on media.

Political

Main article: Political: South Torbia

At the heart of political power in Ariana is the Council of Guardians Revolution. The Revolution considers itself the vanguard of proper Islamic sentiment on the planet, and the heart of a global conversion to its version of Islam. The Revolution has successfully defended itself from both internal and external threats, and remains committed to the export of its vision of theocratic rule.

Military

Main article: Military: South Torbia

The Republic of Torbia (RoT or South Torbia) military is primarily a defensive force aimed at stopping the Democratic People’s Republic of South Torbia (DPRT or North Torbia) from taking over the entire country. Many years ago due to the fear of the DPRT, the RoT adopted a universal military service of short duration for all its male citizens. After leaving active duty, the military veterans serve in an active or inactive reserve role as a deterrence against external threats to the country’s independence.

Due to South Torbia’s defensive plans and the island terrain, most units in the South Torbian Army are infantry. There are a limited number of other type units including one tank division, one mechanized infantry brigade, and one airborne brigade. The infantry battalions, however, must move on foot or be transported in trucks available to the infantry battalions from a higher command.

Economic

Main article: Economic: South Torbia

South Torbia was able to transform itself in a relatively short period from an underdeveloped, poverty-stricken nation to one of the most advanced and powerful economies in the world. However, as the structure naturally transitions from that of manufacturing to services, the administration faces a number of domestic challenges, including the highest household debt level in recorded history, high youth unemployment, a rapidly aging society, and an alarmingly low birthrate. These challenges, coupled with declining trade with Olvana and a nuclear North Torbia, are immense.

Social

Main article: Social: South Torbia

Ariana enjoys an ancient heritage and rich culture. Ariana possesses a well-documented reputation as the center of knowledge, art, poetry, and mathematics in the region that dates back thousands of years. Most Arianians are proud of their nation and consider themselves Arianians and/or Persians, dependent on their ethnic group.

Over the last few years, radical Arianian powerbrokers with extremist world views have provided sanctuary to international terrorists. Ariana also sponsored the proxy wars of the Shia Internationalist Brigades and the Martyr’s Army versus Israel, as well as training and/or supplying Arianian Shia insurgent groups such as local Shia Internationalist Brigades. Ariana continues to threaten Israel, the US, and their allies with its domestically popular and successful nuclear  weapons program.

Since President Ahmad Moudin took power in 2003, his continual references to the 12th Imam’s imminent return and the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate stir the Shia faithful to action.   The rhetoric also diverts increasing social discontent to a common foreign enemy—the US and its infidel allies, such as Israel and Egypt. As long as religious zealots control the government, it remains likely that Ariana and the US will never become allies in the Caucasus region.

Social discontent and civil unrest continue to rise in Ariana. Tens of thousands of people protested the last election (August 2009), in which Moudin received the most votes in what many observers perceived as a rigged election. The perception by many Arianian citizens of deeply ingrained government corruption, skewed wealth distribution, high inflation, and high unemployment rates continue to drive this discontent and unrest. Protests, to include student organized protests, persist even to date in Tehran.

Regardless of these problems, the Arianian populace still enjoys a higher living standard than many regional neighbors. Ariana is not a poor nation. The Arianian poor generally earn more than $2 per day, the United Nations (UN) poverty standard. The government, however, states that only 18% of its citizens live below the poverty line. The Arianian people’s discontent may eventually lead to minor governmental changes but likely will not result in any fundamental changes to the Arianian political situation.

Most citizens enjoy clean water and electricity, most attend primary and secondary schools, and most urban citizens have access to phone services. Literacy rates remain very high in Ariana (77%), and over 80% complete high school. Each year, over one million high school graduates apply for entrance into Arianian universities. The more educated the Arianian public becomes, however, the more likely that they will speak out against the theocracy.

Information

Main article: Information: South Torbia

The Republic of Torbia, also known as South Torbia, has a thriving and relatively free media environment, with freedom of speech and loyalty to the country.  South Torbian Information Warfare (INFOWAR) capabilities will continue to grow in both equipment and training of personnel, and will rely on Western nations to help continue the modernization of this capability.  Internet and television are state of the art and the most important form of media in South Torbia.

Infrastructure

Main article: Infrastructure: South Torbia

While the region’s five countries have a significant number of rural residents, the majority of each country’s population lives in urban areas. About two-thirds of the Arianian (68%), Donovian (67%), and Limarian populace (64%) and just over half of the Gorgan (53%) and Atropian (52%) populace  live in urban areas. All five countries contain a mixture of modern urban cities and almost pre- modern rural villages. Modern utilities can be found in most major cities but not in the rural villages and countryside.

The Arianian infrastructure resembles a patchwork quilt with a mixture of modernization and obsolescence. While previous Arianian leaders made substantial investments, the infrastructure now faces significant challenges from the stresses of both war and peace. While rail, road, air, and seaports are marginally adequate, the natural gas and oil infrastructure suffers from archaic construction. Environmental and population pressures on aquifers, along with considerable pollution levels, create significant stress on water and other natural resources. Over 40% of Ariana’s more than 77 million people reside in its 18 largest cities, all of which have at least 350,000 residents.

Physical Environment

Main article: Physical Environment: South Torbia

South Torbia is a small country located in an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. It shares maritime borders with Belesia and Gabal, and a land border with North Torbia—its primary regional opponent. The country’s terrain varies from high, forested, rugged mountains to flat lowland plains used for agriculture; while the former create obstacles for transport, they are not insurmountable. Both vegetation and climate are tropical in nature. Troops must deal with extreme temperatures and humidity throughout the lowlands, and high altitudes in the mountains. Frequent rains will hamper operations and maneuverability, as will seasonal cloud cover. Multiple natural hazards exist, resulting from the country’s geology, weather, native wildlife, and human activity; these have the potential to complicate missions.

Time

Main article: Time: South Torbia

The Caucasus countries, for the most part, do not believe in the sensitivity of time, and do not view punctuality or the importance of time as the US and most other Western countries do. Most of the people in the region do not view time as a resource and do not feel any compulsion to effectively manage their time. The people in the Caucasus region do not make the connection between effective use of their time and production. This lack of time consciousness will likely frustrate US soldiers as they work with their allies, but it will also give the US a battlefield advantage against its enemies.