Deketopia

Deketopia, officially the Commonwealth of Deketopia, is a peninsular country in the southwest of Melivorica, comprising a main landmass known as the Dastopian Peninsula and numerous islands. It is bordered by the Southern Ocean to the south, the Idean Sea to the west, the Neoacian Sea to the north, and the Ravenessian Sounds to the northeast. The name, Deketopia, is taken from the empire that colonized the Dastopian Peninsula centuries ago. That empire's name was taken from a messianic figure known as Dekey that the empire's main religion was based around.

At 580,980 square kilometers and with almost 150 million people, the Commonwealth is the largest internationally-recognized country in the region by both total area and population. It is one of the region's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of being the point of arrival for most immigrants to Melivorica. The Deketopian economy is on par with other economies within the region, with an estimated 2010 GDP of $7.7 trillion.

Because of the major political instability of its constantly fluctuating neighbors, Deketopia's national waters include most if not all of the Ravenessian Sounds. The country itself is made up of sixteen states and one territory spread out over numerous landmasses. It is bordered by unclaimed areas to the east, and is also closely neighbored to Brachyuria in the north through the Ravenessian Sounds.

While still being among the younger nations of the region in comparison to ancients such as Norheimir and Brachyuria, Deketopia is one of the more stable governments in Melivorica. According to the World Assembly, Deketopia's civil rights are excellent, its economy is frightening, and its political freedoms are excellent.

Deketopia is a Democratic Republic, under President Thomas L. Barnaby, who's mandate has been categorized under the World Assembly as an "Inoffensive Centrist Democracy." Elections of the president and vice president are held every five years, while elections of lower level officials, such as senators, occur in varying cycles. The rich in Deketopia enjoy some of the most opulent lifestyles in the region, while the middle class lead decent lifestyles, and the poor are mostly taken care of by shelters and the national healthcare system. Education is mandatory up to 12th grade, and the literacy rate is 100%.

Etymology
In 1407, Imperial Deketopian cartographer Martin Valdemar produced a world map on which he named the lands of Melivorica "Deketopia" after the foreign country that was attempting to colonize it. The former Deketopian colonies first used the country's modern name after the collapse of Dastopia in the reformed Laws of Dastardos, the "unanimous Declaration of the Commonwealth of Deketopia" adopted by the "Representatives of the Commonwealth of Deketopia" on January 23, 1942. On March 15, 1942, the Second Congress adopted the Laws of Dastardos, which states, "The Style of this democratic republic shall be 'The Commonwealth of Deketopia.'" From that point on, "Commonwealth of Deketopia" was used on the country's bills of exchange, and it has been the official name ever since.

Geography
Main articles: Geography of Deketopia and States of Deketopia

The land area of the contiguous Deketopian Commonwealth is approximately 580,980 square kilometers, most of which comes from the three Claws that jut out from the mainland. Caheka, occupying much of the Southern Claw, is the largest state while Palmetto Island, a territory in the central Pacific, is the smallest with just over 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares). Deketopia is the region's largest nation by total area (land and water), ranking ahead of all other internationally recognized states.

The coastal plain of the Idean seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of Caheka. The Lucky Mountain Range divides the Claws from the hills of Ludenia and the tundra of former Pakistonia. The Deken River, the country's longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, cold tundra of Neville's Land covers the eastern states, abruptly halted by the Lucky Mountains. The Corazon Mountains, at the southwestern edge of Caheka, extend north to south across the state, reaching altitudes higher than 11,000 feet. Farther west in New Ultrajoe are the rocky Blue Basin and deserts such as the Eviljoe. At 3,636 meters (11,928 ft), Wendooya's Lucky Mountain is the tallest peak in the country and in the Lesser Peninsula. Despite being on a fault line, no active volcanoes exist in Deketopia, though Mount Corona is rumored to be a dormant volcano.

Deketopia, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the west of the disputed territories, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the southwest. The southwestern tip of Caheka is tropical, as is Palmetto Island. Neville's Land, in the eastern half of the country, has an alpine climate. Much of the central mountains are alpine. The climate is arid in the Middle Claw, desert in New Ultrajoe, Mediterranean along the Bay of Callidum and the Gulf of Impishidea, and oceanic in the various island states. The far southern reaches of Caheka and Pakistonia are subarctic or polar. Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the Bay of Callidum are prone to hurricanes.

Deketopian ecology is considered "megadiverse": about 25,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous Deketopian Commonwealth, and over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found on Palmetto Island, few of which occur on the mainland. Deketopia is home to more than 800 mammal, 1000 bird, and 600 reptile and amphibian species. About 91,000 insect species have been described. The Endangered Species Clause in the reformed Law of Dastardos protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the Deketopian Fish and Wildlife Service. There are over one hundred national parks and thousands of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas. Altogether, the government owns 28.8% of the country's land area. Most of this is protected, though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; 2.4% is used for military purposes.

History
Main article: History of Deketopia

Origins
In 1935, Dastopia's first nuclear weapon had been developed. It was a crude bomb with a plutonium payload. After a fly-over revealed nothing and another boatload of soldiers had been lost to the island, Johnson Island became the location of the first Dastopian atomic weapons test. The southeastern provinces of Dastopia decided that enough was enough and announced that they would secede from the empire if a nuclear device was detonated. First Citizen Clifford figured that the secessionists would not act on their threat and the bomb was tested. Days later, 1/3 of the People's Republic seceded and became South Dastopia. Dastopia planned to take back the territory by force, but a massive chunk of the military had seceded as well, and invading troops would be met with bitter resistance. To show that Dastopia had not been defeated by this secession, construction of a new capital in the Lucky Mountain Valley began. The city was to be named Dastopolis. In 1939, the city was well on its way to completion, and the secessionists changed their new nation's name to Pakistonia. The reason for this change is not yet known. After years of stalemate, the citizens of Dastopia realized how dissatisfied they were with their government, but did not want to join the intensely fascistic Pakistonian regime. Various peaceful marches were staged, but when the protesters were met with hostility, they openly revolted.

On February 2nd, 1940, First Citizen Clifford made one last televised speech in which he dissolved the People's Republic of Dastopia and stepped down from his position, and then simply disappeared. The following day, the People's Supreme Congress convened for one last session, during which General Claude Pedro of the Dastopian People's Liberation Army stormed the hall and declared himself the new First Citizen of Dastopia. He immediately retconned all the statements Clifford had made, and forced the members of congress to remain in session indefinitely. Over the next two years, the congress was forced to pass increasingly authoritarian bills that greatly reduced the quality of life in the nation. Then, in 1942, General James Theimann of the Army stormed the congress once more and ousted Pedro. Theimann then immediately re-dissolved Dastopia and formed a new democratic nation, the intricate workings of the government having already been planned out. It was decided that the new nation's name would be Deketopia, commemorating the first extra-regional explorers to set foot in Melivorica. The new capital's name was changed to Deketropolis.

Modern History
In 1946, the Dastopian Peninsula was embroiled in the throes of civil war. A Pakistonian army had very nearly captured the capitol, and the Deketopian army had almost been annihilated repelling the attackers. In 1947, the Middle Claw region of Deketopia, frustrated with the young nation's inability to respond to this attack, seceded and became the Kingdom of Callidum. This nation attempted to remain neutral, and Deketopia, refusing to engage in a two-front war, chose not to try to reclaim the lands of Callidum by force. In 1948, more separatists, seeing an opportunity in a weak nation, took control of the area of the modern states of West Ravenessia, East Ravenessia, Courtney, and Stuart and formed the reborn nation of Ravenessia. Deketopia was crippled. In 1949, the leadership of Callidum decided to partition the nation to more efficiently use its resources. The Western half of the Middle Claw became Lunamotharia, while the Eastern half became Impishidea. By 1950, apparently due to a slight against its leader by the Lunamotharian leader, Ravenessia had declared war against the two nations of the Middle Claw. The more powerful military of Ravenessia simply annexed the Middle Claw. In 1951, a popular revolt by Ravenessians caused the dictatorship to fall and the lands to rejoin Deketopia.

To match Deketopia's newly regained military power, Pakistonia devoted most of its economy to funding an unfeasibly large military. The ensuing stalemate would continue for just a year. The de facto truce was broken in 1952 when Pakistonia, having realized that it would soon collapse if it continued to maintain its extensive military, attempted an invasion of Deketopia. The fighting would continue for four years, during which Deketopia managed to turn the tides against Pakistonia. In 1957, Pakistonia City fell and the nation was annexed to Deketopia. The war had lasted for 22 years. Six nations had risen from the ashes of Dastopia. One remained.

Recent History
The commander-in-chief is currently President Barnaby, elected to his first five-year term in 2010. His second-in-command is Vice President Jesse. Deketopia recently attempted to build an outpost on the island of Martiniel since the government collapsed. This did not work out very well, and nothing was gained or lost. The nation also bought an island from the Monarchy Dictatorship of Sunkistodia. Following the opening of the 125-story Pacific Trading Center in Las Barnas, Deketopia grew close to certain nations and as a result joined the Small Nations Organized Military, or SNOM, though the alliance dissolved soon after. Recently, Deketopia has not participated in any armed conflicts, so all is well.

Government
Deketopia is the region's oldest surviving democratic nation, despite being less than a century old. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law." The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the Laws of Dastardos, which serve as the country's supreme legal documents. In the Deketopian federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government, federal, state, and local; the local government's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There is no proportional representation at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels.

The federal government is composed of three branches:


 * Legislative: The unicameral Congress, composed entirely of the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.
 * Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to House approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
 * Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with House approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The House of Representatives has 197 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population every tenth year. As of the 2010 census, Palmetto Island has just one representative, while Caheka, the most populous state, has fifty-three. The president serves a five-year term and may be elected to the office an indefinite number of times, though no president has ever been reelected twice. The president is elected by direct vote, following the abolition of the indirect electoral college system in 2000. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of Deketopia, has nine members, who serve for ten years and then may be reelected, usually serving for life.

The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion; Popeya uniquely has a bicameral legislature. The governor (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.

All laws and governmental procedures are subject to judicial review, and any law ruled in violation of the Laws is voided. The original text of the Laws establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. Article One of the Third Order protects the right to the "great writ" of habeas corpus, and Article Three guarantees the right to a jury trial in all criminal cases. Amendments to the Laws require the approval of three-fourths of the states. The Laws have been amended seven times; the first ten Orders, which make up the Word of Dastardos form the central basis of Deketopians' individual rights.

Military and Foreign Relations
Main articles: Foreign policy of Deketopia and Deketopian armed forces

Deketopia exercises some economic, political, and military influence around the multiverse. It was a member of S.N.O.M. until the organization's collapse. Three countries (Brachyuria, Fasdia, and San Pellegrino Romana) have embassies in Deketopia and likewise, those three nations host Deketopian diplomatic missions.

Deketopia has strong ties with the various nations of Melivorica. It works closely with its neighbors on military and security issues. In 2008, the Commonwealth spent a net s50 billion on official development assistance, and private overseas giving by Deketopians is relatively generous.

The president holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Deketopian Department of Warfare administers the armed forces, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In 2010, the armed forces had 1.5 million personnel on active duty. The Reserves and National Guard brought the total number of troops to 1.8 million. The Department of Warfare also employed about 400,000 civilians, not including contractors.

Military service is voluntary, conscription having been banned by the Twelfth Order. Deketopian forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft and the Navy's three active aircraft carriers. The military does not operate any bases or facilities abroad, and does not maintain any deployments in any foreign countries.

Demographics
The 2010 Deketopian Census reported 196,196,000 residents; the Deketopian Census Bureau projects the country's population now to be 208,000,000, including an estimated 5 million unregistered immigrants. The seventh most populous nation in the region, Deketopia is one of just a few industrialized nations in Melivorica in which large population increases are projected. With a birth rate of 13.82 per 1,000, its population growth rate is 0.98%, significantly higher than those of Norheimir, Brachyuria, and Jboa. In fiscal year 2009, 10.2 million immigrants were granted legal residence. This is likely because Deketopia is the usual point-of-entry to Melivorica.

Deketopia has a very diverse population—fifty ancestry groups have more than one million members. Imperial Deketopians are the largest racial group; the rest of the country is divided between numerous different races. The census now includes the category "Other Sentient Species" for "respondents unable to identify with any" of its official race categories; more than 19,000 citizens were placed in this category in 2010.

About 82% of Deketopians live in urban areas (as defined by the Census Bureau, such areas include the suburbs); about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000. In 2008, 250 incorporated places had populations over 100,000, eighteen cities had more than 1 million residents, and eight global cities had over 2 million. There are fifty metropolitan areas with populations greater than 1 million. Of the fifty fastest-growing metro areas, forty-seven are in the East or South. The metro areas of of many Deketopian cities grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2010.



Culture
Deketopia is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. Aside from the now small Native Deketopian and Native Courtneyan populations, nearly all Deketopians or their ancestors immigrated within the past six centuries. The culture held in common by most Deketopians—mainstream Deketopian culture—is derived from a multitude of different cultures, mainly from the Empire of Deketopia, but with influences from many other sources, such as traditions brought by ex-slaves from Revolvisia. More recent immigration from the disputed territories and especially the Great Peninsula has added to a cultural mix that has been described as both a homogenizing melting pot and a heterogeneous salad bowl in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics.

According to Barnaby Turpin's cultural dimensions analysis, Deketopia has the highest individualism score of any Melivorican country studied. While the mainstream culture holds that Deketopia is a classless society, scholars identify significant differences between the country's social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values. The Deketopian middle and professional class has participated in many contemporary social trends in Melivorica, such as modern feminism, environmentalism, and multiculturalism. Deketopians' self-images, social viewpoints, and cultural expectations are associated with their occupations to an unusually close degree. While Deketopians tend greatly to value socioeconomic achievement, being ordinary or average seems to hold some appeal to many. Though the perception that Deketopians enjoy high social mobility plays a key role in attracting immigrants, various studies indicate that Deketopia has less social mobility than Norheimer and the countries of the Fasdian Bloc.

Women now mostly work outside the home and receive a majority of bachelor's degrees. In 2007, 58% of Deketopians age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married. Same-sex marriage is legal in all states.

---Deketopian history

At the beginning of the Dastopian Civil War, Dastopia collapsed and Deketopia rose up in 1942. Following the ensuing war with the other former Dastopian nations, Deketopia was the only remaining nation on the Dastopian Peninsula.

Prehistory
Main Article: Prehistoric Melivorica

Around 1 million years ago, the hominid species homo hendrixus and homo georgicus battled for supremacy in the Dastopian peninsula. This struggle continued until the advent of neanderthal man 150,000 years ago in Melivorica. When the neanderthals disappeared from the fossil record 30,000 years ago, modern humans (Cro-Magnons) took over.

The Melivorican Neolithic period—marked by the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock, increased numbers of settlements and the widespread use of pottery—began around 7,000 BC in the Great Peninsula and spread through modern Archonis-Thay before crossing numerous waters to reach Deketopia as part of Squiggly Pottery Culture. Newly acquired skills in producing copper artifacts were transmitted along the way. The Stringed ware cultural horizon flourished at the transition from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic. During this period giant megalithic monuments, were constructed throughout Dastopia, most notably the Megalithic Pyramids at Kenansville. The Melivorican Bronze Age began in the late 3rd millennium BC and gave way to the Iron Age in 800 BC.

Antiquity
Main Article: Deketopian Antiquity

After the Iron Age, civilization began to flourish on the Dastopian Peninsula, with many tribes rising and falling. Around the 6th century AD, three nations came to prominence: the Bullian to the northwest, the Azteco to the southeast, and the Huaynan in the middle. The Bullian were the largest and most powerful of the three tribes, covering much of Deketopia's current territory. Their capital was Caheka, which eventually became Las Barnas. They were known for their fur-trapping camps to the north. The Azteco created a warlike civilization in the southeast that relied on sacrifices to the gods, though this led to their later downfall. They created many strange monuments to the gods of old. Their capital was Tlatelolchtitlan. The Huaynan, a tribe that was remarkable for their extremely efficient farming methods, built massive terraces that were used to harvest the wheat and corn that is so plentiful in that region.

All of the tribes engaged on some form of trade with the Fasdian tribes and other cultures around the Vexarian Gulf, as well as tribes in modern-day Brachyuria and the Empire of Ultrajoe. Despite all of this overseas trade, the tribes refused to trade with each other. This was mostly due to training in passive aggression techniques by Penguininjania and Economiac.

The Middle Ages
Main article: Medieval Deketopia

Around the early 1400s, colonies of Imperial Deketopia began to spring up around the Dastopian Peninsula, with one colony being set up on Johnson Island. The colony of Roanuda was established somewhere to the southeast by the Holy Vexarian Empire. The governor of the Deketopian colony at the time of founding was Timothy Johnson, who creatively named the colony Johnson Island Colony. He was a medieval Genghis Khan, hungry for new land, though many centuries passed before the colonists gained advanced enough weaponry to defeat the natives. For the entirety of the medieval era, the colonists' only real weapon against the natives was disease, with infected blankets being shipped by the dozen to native villages. The Azteco caught on quickly and began to sacrifice infected people, effectively quelling the infection in their territory. The Huaynan were not so keen. They were wiped out by the disease, with only the strongest of their tribe surviving. About 2/3 of their population died. The Bullian quarantined infected settlements and banned trade with the colonists, preventing the infection from causing very many deaths.

Another colony was established around 1452 by Thomas Williams of the Empire of Deketopia. The location was somewhere to the northwest. His colony paved the way for future explorers and colonists to reach the Dastopian Peninsula and establish the colony of New Deketopia.

The Renaissance
Main article: Dastopian Renaissance

The Renaissance was a time characterized by great advances in technology, culture, and general quality of life for the peoples of the Dastopian peninsula. The native tribes began to resemble Greco-Roman cultures after learning how to build marble buildings, aqueducts, and various other technologies that allowed the various cities scattered around the peninsula to grow at a much faster rate than what was previously thought possible. The colonists, who already possessed these technologies, learned how to efficiently use gunpowder, which allowed them to use muskets and cannons against each other and the natives. These new weapons led to disastrous confrontations with the natives as the colonists tried to push further into the peninsula.

The Fall of the Bullian
The Bullian prospered during the Renaissance, growing from a population of 10 million in 1002 AD to 50 million in 1523 AD. Unfortunately for them, adventurers from the Empire of Deketopia began showing up and ravaging the land. They, led by Blake Courtney, took over the region of Popeya and refused to give it back to the Bullian. The natives realized that their relatively primitive weapons were no match for the guns and cannons that the newcomers possessed, and so they decided not to retaliate against these invaders. Ten years later, Courtney was on the move again. His technologically-advanced army invaded Wendooya and managed to successfully hold the territory against a counterattack by the Bullian. Losing no steam, the army separated, with one group staying behind to hold the city, and another, much larger group moving to take down Caheka. The Bullian, having committed the majority of their troops to counterattacking Wendooya, evacuated the city and fled to their one remaining territory, Ludenia. Their leader, Standing Cow, begged Courtney for mercy, and his last region was spared by the Deketopians.

The Fall of the Huaynan
The Huaynan population seemingly grew at an even faster rate than that of the Bullian, since they had more advanced farming techniques. They were thwarted by the combined efforts of the Deketopians and the Holy Vexarian Empire. While Blake Courtney did what he was doing, another adventurer by the name of Louis Drake began to bring troops into Huaynan territory. Because these natives had even less advanced technology than that which was possessed by the Bullian, they were easily crushed. The Deketopian forces took the northwestern half of the Huaynan region, while the Holy Vexarians took the other half. The Huaynan leader, Capack, was conned into sending all of his amassed wealth to the Deketopians, and was then betrayed and exiled. He was never heard from again. The Huaynan were effectively exterminated by these conquests, though faint echos of their culture can be seen deep in the wilderness.

The Fall of the Azteco
Unlike the other two native civilizations, the Azteco were not very advanced and stubbornly clung to their old ways. They continued the barbaric practice of ritual sacrifice, and armies of slaves were forced to maintain dozens of sacrificial altars that dotted the poorly used landscape. The Holy Vexarian Empire committed a rather large amount of men and resources to wiping these people off of the face of the planet. Troops swept through the region and annihilated entire cities leaving the landscape to revert to its original form. The Azteco were pushed back to their capital, Tlatelolchtitlan, and fought fiercely to defend it. The massive Battle of Tlatelolchtitlan was a huge conflict between hundreds of well armed soldiers and thousands of warriors that relied on brute strength to defeat their foes. The Holy Vexarians fought and won despite the odds. They had defeated the natives for good. This is what is generally accepted by historians. Strangely, relics indicate that the Azteco may have been aided by skeletal warriors, possibly having migrated from Undead Carthage.

Because of superstition betwixt the victorious Holy Vexarians, most of the step pyramids were laced with gunpowder and detonated. The Azteco ruler, Emperor Zumy II, was buried alive within one of the altars. It is rumored that his laughter can still be heard emanating from within one of the archeological sites throughout Deketopia.

The First Revolution
Main article: First Deketopian Revolution

Centuries later, New Deketopia and the Holy Vexarian Empire shared a cordial and fruitful relationship, with the New Deketopians trading increasing amounts of goods to the crumbling empire. However, the Empire of Deketopia heavily taxed their colonies, and the colonists became angry. Aside from taxes, they were not considered citizens of Imperial Deketopia, and therefore could not vote or be elected into office. These and various other offenses finally led to the secession of New Deketopia from Old Deketopia. All of the colonies except for Johnson Island Colony declared their independence and banded together against the tyrannical government. Meanwhile, the Holy Vexarian Empire collapsed, leaving its territories in the Dastopian Peninsula to fend for themselves. New Deketopia vowed to protect their neighbors to the southeast. Years later, despite many threats from Imperial Deketopia to destroy its rebellious colonies, barely any blood had been shed. The Deketopian Empire was tied up in multiple wars on the home front and could not spare any troops. There were very few loyalists in the new nation, and they emigrated to Johnson Island. A peace treaty was finally signed, and the revolutionary war was ended. An extremely left-wing socialist government, led by a First Citizen and Supreme Congress, was established. A general who went by the name of Dastardos seized power and became First Citizen. The people then decided that they did not want to bear the name of Deketopia and demanded a change. The First Citizen made a suggestion, and New Deketopia became The People's Republic of Dastopia.

The Industrial Age
Main article: Melivorican Industrial Age

By the nineteenth century, Dastopia had grown up to become a large, prosperous nation. The former Vexarian territories to the southeast were annexed in 1808. Around the time this happened, various innovations like the steam engine were made. The empire was more powerful than ever. Meanwhile, Johnson Island was changing hands. Popeya and Caheka were rebuilt as Beethozart and Las Barnas, respectively. The aging First Citizen Dastardos was so impressed with Las Barnas that it became the new capital of Dastopia. In 1852, Ludenia and the surrounding territory was annexed by the military. The remaining Bullian tried to fight back but were defeated and relocated to a reservation. Intellectuals in the southeast began to object to the unethical treatment of the natives and called for an end to this, but their complaints were ignored. They then realized that, despite the nation being a "People's Republic," in reality, the people had very few rights at all. Soon, they had come up with a laundry list of complaints against Dastopia, all of which were ignored. The seeds of dissent had been sown.

The Second Revolution
Main article: Second Deketopian Revolution

With the advent of mass-produced cars, planes, and telephones in the early twentieth century, Dastopia's cities became industrialized metropolises. In 1935, Dastopia's first nuclear weapon had been developed. It was a crude bomb with a plutonium payload. After a fly-over revealed nothing and another boatload of soldiers had been lost to the island, Johnson Island became the location of the first Dastopian atomic weapons test. The southeastern provinces of Dastopia decided that enough was enough and announced that they would secede from the empire if a nuclear device was detonated. First Citizen Clifford figured that the secessionists would not act on their threat and the bomb was tested. Days later, the area containing the modern states of Impishidea, Pakistonia, Lunamotharia, and Ludenia seceded and became South Dastopia. Dastopia planned to take back the territory by force, but a massive chunk of the military had seceded as well, and invading troops would be met with bitter resistance. To show that Dastopia had not been defeated by this secession, construction of a new capital in the Lucky Mountain Valley began. The city was to be named Dastopolis. In 1941, the city was well on its way to completion, and the secessionists changed their new nation's name to Pakistonia. The reason for this change is not yet known. After another year of stalemate, the citizens of Dastopia realized how dissatisfied they were with their government, but did not want to join the intensely fascistic Pakistonian regime. Various peaceful marches were staged, but when the protesters were met with hostility, they openly revolted.

On February 2nd, 1940, First Citizen Clifford made one last televised speech in which he dissolved the People's Republic of Dastopia and stepped down from his position, and then simply disappeared. The following day, the People's Supreme Congress convened for one last session, during which General Claude Pedro of the Dastopian People's Liberation Army stormed the hall and declared himself the new First Citizen of Dastopia. He immediately retconned all the statements Clifford had made, and forced the members of congress to remain in session indefinitely. Over the next two years, the congress was forced to pass increasingly authoritarian bills that greatly reduced the quality of life in the nation. Then, in 1942, General James Theimann of the Army stormed the congress once more and ousted Pedro. Theimann then immediately re-dissolved Dastopia and formed a new democratic nation, the intricate workings of the government having already been planned out. It was decided that the new nation's name would be Deketopia, commemorating the first extra-regional explorers to set foot in Melivorica. The new capital's name was changed to Deketropolis.

The Modern Era
Main article: Modern Dastopian History

In 1946, the Dastopian Peninsula was embroiled in the throes of civil war. A Pakistonian army had very nearly captured the capitol, and the Deketopian army had almost been annihilated repelling the attackers. In 1947, the Middle Claw region of Deketopia, frustrated with the young nation's inability to respond to this attack, seceded and became the Kingdom of Callidum. This nation attempted to remain neutral, and Deketopia, refusing to engage in a two-front war, chose not to try to reclaim the lands of Callidum by force. In 1948, more separatists, seeing an opportunity in a weak nation, took control of the area of the modern states of West Ravenessia, East Ravenessia, Courtney, and Stuart and formed the reborn nation of Ravenessia. Deketopia was crippled. In 1949, the leadership of Callidum decided to partition the nation to more efficiently use its resources. The Western half of the Middle Claw became Lunamotharia, while the Eastern half became Impishidea. By 1950, apparently due to a slight against its leader by the Lunamotharian leader, Ravenessia had declared war against the two nations of the Middle Claw. The more powerful military of Ravenessia simply annexed the Middle Claw. In 1951, a popular revolt by Ravenessians caused the dictatorship to fall and the lands to rejoin Deketopia.

Unification
To match Deketopia's newly regained military power, Pakistonia devoted most of its economy to funding an unfeasibly large military. The ensuing stalemate would continue for decades. The de facto truce was broken in 1982 when Pakistonia, having realized that it would soon collapse if it continued to maintain its extensive military, attempted an invasion of Deketopia. The fighting would continue for four years, during which Deketopia managed to turn the tides against Pakistonia. In 1987, Pakistonia City fell and the nation was annexed to Deketopia. The war had lasted for 52 years. Six nations had risen from the ashes of Dastopia. One remained.

Recent History
The commander-in-chief is currently President Barnaby, elected to his first five-year term in 2010. His second-in-command is Vice President Jesse. Deketopia recently attempted to build an outpost on the island of Martiniel since the government collapsed. This did not work out very well, and nothing was gained or lost. The nation also bought an island from the Monarchy Dictatorship of Sunkistodia. Following the opening of the 125-story Pacific Trading Center in Las Barnas, Deketopia grew close to certain nations and as a result joined the Small Nations Organized Military, or SNOM, which soon collapsed. Recently, Deketopia has not participated in any armed conflicts, so all is well.

---Geography of Deketopia-

Deketopia is a country located mostly in southwestern Melivorica, with some extraneous territories located elsewhere in the multiverse. Deketopia borders disputed territories to the southeast, the Ravenessian Sounds to the north, the Idean Sea to the west, and the Southern Ocean to the south.

Physical geography
Deketopia occupies most of the Lesser Peninsula. It has an area of 1,000,000 square kilometers (621,400 sq. mi.), making it roughly the same size as Castleclose. Together with most of the countries in Melivorica, it was formed from the portions of the continent Melivoric-majoris that lie above sea level.

Deketopia, having an extensive coastline, thrives on foreign imports and exports and has no borders with sovereign states, though a border does exist with the disputed territories of Melivorica.

Deketopia contains two mountain ranges, known as the Lucky Mountain Range, bordering Deketropolis, and the Corazon Mountains, in Caheka. The Lucky Mountain Range has five peaks measuring above 3000 meters, one of which, Lucky Mountain, is the highest point in Deketopia at 3,636 meters. The lowest point, on the other hand, is Malagua Basin, an endorheic basin deep in the tundra.

Geology
Deketopia sits on the edge of the Melivoric-majoris tectonic plate, with the very western territories on the Pacific tectonic plate. As such, central Deketopia is plagued by numerous earthquakes, none of which have caused any significant damage recently.

Political Geography
Deketopia is made up of 16 states, spread evenly around the country. Each state is a smaller chunk of several larger jurisdictions, which were under the control of commissars during the Dastopian regime. Following the establishment of Deketopia in 1942, the jurisdictions were carved up into the current states.

Climate
Snow on ground level is common through most of the country, especially in winter but also in fall and spring, and as such Deketopia is considered to have a cold climate, tempered with decent weather. Mean temperatures range from 10°C (50°F) in central Deketopia, especially around East Ravenessia, to 30°C (86 °F) in the east, with warmer weather especially so along the Barnabas Coast. Deketopia has a relatively large Temperate range, and thus the weather can change rapidly and unexpectedly.

Most areas of the country have between 300 and 800 mm of rainfall, with the most rain along the coast and the least in the Pakistonian hills, near the border with the disputed territories. Daza is the driest city, receiving about 640 mm (25 inches) of rain per year, while Krull is the wettest, receiving almost four times that amount.

Infastructure
Due to heavy colonization by Imperial Deketopia, Deketopia is "splattered" with cities and highways. Densely populated regions with towering skyscrapers can be within miles of barren tundra. A national highway and mag-lev network insures that no cities are completely isolated, though it is believed that some towns simply disappeared off the map in the early twentieth century and still exist today, completely cut off from the outside world.

Neville's Land
Much of the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Deketopia is tundra. The land is gray, and the soil has a thick layer of permafrost under it. People have been able to eke out some kind of existence on it, though. The cities of Frio and Beaver Creek are built on tundra. The problem with the environment is the fact that adequate crops cannot be grown, and livestock pastures cannot be built. These cities sustain themselves with seafood and imported foods. The flat land does make it easy to pave roads and travel from place to place, so tundra does have its benefits.

Eviljoe Desert
The Eviljoe desert, named for an archetypal villain in Joeish mythology, is the hottest, most arid part of Deketopia. It is located entirely within the state of New Ultrajoe, and temperatures regularly rise above 120°F.

Ravenessian Forests
The northern quarter of Deketopia is covered by thick forests that provide the country with a source of lumber and farmland where the trees are cleared. A surprisingly small number of species roam the area, and just a few roads and railroad tracks pass through. Great redwoods dominate parts of the land.

Lucky Mountain Range


It is not yet known how the Lucky Mountain Range got its name, but it is generally accepted that it was first climbed in 1923 by Joe Harris. It is speculated that his nickname may have been "Lucky," and he lended his name to the mountain range that he conquered. The mountains are home to mountain goats, alpacas, condors, chinchillas, llamas, snow leopards, vicugnas, and yaks. Barely any plant species survive in the mountains. The fertile valley between two peaks serves as the location for Deketropolis, and the spa town of Corona exists on the mountainside.

Gulf of Impishidea
The Gulf of Impishidea hosts the coastal cities of Salgden and Impishidea City, as well as the island of Amina. The body of water is the reason for the surrounding extremely fertile temperate grasslands.

Bay of Callidum
The Bay of Callidum is a natural body of water cutting into the western side of Deketopia. It is a gigantic estuary, and its brackish waters extend a few thousand miles from Naples in the southwest to the heart of Deketopia. Some unique wildlife call its waters home.

Raven Inlet
The cold, salty water of Raven Inlet provides the necessary nutrients to sustain the lush foliage on its shores. The city of Sienna has grown up as a result.

--States of Deketopia

A Deketopian state is any one of 16 federated states of the Commonwealth of Deketopia that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, a Deketopian is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. State citizenship is flexible and no government approval is required to move between states.

The Laws of Dastardos allocate power between these two levels of government. By ratifying the Law, the people transferred certain limited sovereign powers to the federal government from their states. Under the Tenth Order, all powers not delegated to the Deketopian government nor prohibited to the states are retained by the states or the people. Historically, the tasks of public safety (in the sense of controlling crime), public education, public health, transportation, and infrastructure have generally been considered primarily state responsibilities, although all of these now have significant federal funding and regulation as well.

Over time, the Law has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the federal government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a continuing debate over states' rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states' powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government as well as the rights of individual persons.

Congress may admit new states on an equal footing with existing ones; however, it has not done so since 1987. The Law is silent on the question of whether states have the power to unilaterally leave, or secede from, the Commonwealth, but the Supreme Court has ruled secession to be unlawful, a position driven in part by the outcome of the Dastopian Civil War.

Amina
Amina is the island in the center of the Impishidean Inlet. The island is mostly rural, its economy based upon the raising of sheep and generation of wind energy. The capital and largest settlement on the island is Hitchville. The island was mostly uninhabited until colonization by Imperial Deketopa in the 1600s. During the Dastopian Civil War, the island changed hands on numerous occasions before falling under the control of Deketopia.

Arianne
Arianne lies directly to the west of Naples and is about twice as large. Like Amina, the island is mostly rural and heavily utilizes wind energy. The sheep-raising village of Fanno is the capital and largest city on the island. The island was the site of an ancient civilization millennia ago, but was abandoned in the years since. During the Dastopian Civil War, the island was annexed to Callidum before rejoining Deketopia.

Caheka
Caheka is the southwestern state of Deketopia, and contests Norheimer's claim to southernmost territory in Melivorica. The capital city, with a population of 4 million, is Cahekia, but the largest city is Las Barnas, with a population of 20 million. That city is Deketopia's main artery in terms of sustenance. It is a huge port city that keeps the Commonwealth alive. It is also the hub of the Deketopian Navy and Coast Guard. The land that became Caheka was first settled by the Huaynan thousands of years ago. They lived in peace there until the 1600s, when adventurers of the Deketopian Empire invaded and took over the area, causing the natives to evacuate to Ludenia. Later, in 1831, after Imperial Deketopia crumbled, the Johnson Island Republic invaded Dastopia, burning nearly every city in the state to the ground. They were eventually beaten back and the reconstruction process began. A new capital, Las Barnas, was built in the northwestern corner of the state. The city was so well built, First Citizen Dastardos christened it the new capital of Dastopia. Cahekia, despite being flattened, remained the state capital. Later, the title of national capitol was allocated to Deketropolis. It is believed that the name of the state was a mistake, when, in the 1600s, an explorer was asked what this new land should be named, and he began to say a word that began with CA, but sneezed, making a "heek!" noise. The explorer, disoriented, then said "uh....." The half-word, the sneeze, and the "uh" were combined into Caheka. Other major cities include Frio and Beethozart. The nickname for the state is "The Frosty State."

Callidum
Callidum is a central state that has its southern border entirely on the Bay of Callidum. The Kingdom of Callidum had occupied the land for only a decade and a half before the fascistic dictatorship disguised as a monarchy collapsed completely and the nations of Impishidea and Lunamotharia rose up. Neither of these nations lasted very long. Pakistonia occupied the land for another decade and a half until the unification of the peninsula. Now, the state's capitol is the coastal city of Eureka, with a population of 5 million, and another major city is Sienna. The state doesn't seem to have a nickname at the moment.

Courtney
Courtney is the island to the north of the Ravenessias, floating at the junction between the Neoacian Sea and the Ravenessian Sounds. The state is named for Blake Courtney, an ancient explorer. During the Dastopian Civil War, the island refused to take a side, instead simply remaining an unorganized territory until being absorbed into Deketopia following the defeat of Ravenessia. The capitol and largest city is Krull, which is notable for being the only city in the Commonwealth that mainly follows the Brachyurian religion. This is because of the annual expedition that sets out to hunt crab-eater seals. As a result, senators from the state are always staunchly conservative and consistently vote against any policy that could adjust the balance of power in the nation even a little bit.

East Ravenessia
East Ravenessia is the antecedent of West Ravenessia. The capital is Raven, with a population of 3 million. The history of this state is the same as that of West Ravenessia, and this is the western half of the former nation of Ravenessia. The capital is nestled in the Ravenessian forests and on the shores of the Deken River, operating mainly in fur trading. Other major cities include Birdy and the historic capitol Greater Ravenessia. Its nickname is "The Real Raven State."

Impishidea
Impishidea is a central state of the Commonwealth and Deketopia's largest production center. The capital is Impishidea City, with a population of 10 million, rivaling Las Barnas. This state used to be the nation of Impishidea. The Dastopian Civil War destroyed that nation. The nation collapsed under the pressure and both Deketopia and Pakistonia laid claim to the now free land, with Deketopia eventually coming out on top. Other major cities in the state include Neuberg and Amity. The nickname of the state is "The Imp State."

Ludenia
Ludenia is an eastern state of Deketopia. The capital is Hill City, with a population of 4 million. Like many of the other states, Ludenia was first colonized by the natives thousands of years ago. This state was the last to be taken over by the Imperial Deketopian colonists. After the rest of the territory that became Deketopia was taken over, the adventurers made an agreement with the natives to not attack them anymore. This agreement only lasted for a few years before the Bullian were betrayed and the territory was taken over. The territory was governed by the Empire of Deketopia and turned into a reservation. The millions of natives were forced to live there for centuries until the Second Revolution. The new Pakistonian government immediately closed down the reservation and the Bullian were given their freedom. The name for the state comes from the Bullian word for prison. Other major cities include Kenansville and Matoca. The nickname of the state is "The Native State."

Lunamotharia
Lunamotharia is a southeastern state of Deketopia. It's named for the short lived Republic of Lunamotharia, which had formed from a revolution overthrowing the monarchy of Callidum. The little democracy was destroyed by Pakistonian invaders before being assimilated into Deketopia. The state is notable for its long border with the unclaimed lands of the region. The capital is Daza, with a population of 10 million, and a major point of entry into the country is the border town of Yeehaw Junction. Other major cities include Bandel and Sampan. If the state had a nickname, it has been lost to history.

Naples
Naples is the island to the east of Arianne, covering the approach to the Bay of Callidum. The island is a popular resort among Deketopians, with many luxurious condos and seaside mansions lining the shores. The capital city is St. Pete's, and the largest city is the shipping hub of Port Sycamore.

New Ultrajoe
New Ultrajoe is an eastern state of Deketopia and is named for the former Empire of Ultrajoe. It boasts the highest population of followers of Joeism out of all territories in the region. Not much is known about its history until it comprised half of the seceding Kingdom of Callidum. The state's economy collapsed as quickly as its namesake nation did during the war, but has since recovered without its reliance upon foreign imports. The capitol is Joe City, with a population of 2 million, and another major city is Brodyville. The state's nickname is just "Ultrajoe."

Pakistonia
Pakistonia is a southeastern state of the Commonwealth, and occupies much of the land that its namesake did. This land was home base for the nation Pakistonia, and in a somewhat arrogant move, was named after the oppressive nation it had been ruled by. The capitol is Beaver Creek. Other major cities include Pakistonia City and Barnabas Port. The nickname of the state is "Pakistan (wherever that is)."

Popeya
Popeya is a snaky, central state of Deketopia. The capital, with a population of 5 million, is Salgden. The name Popeya comes from the Huaynan word for "center." The state was inhabited by the Huaynan until the Renaissance, when Deketopian adventurers arrived on the scene. They quickly ejected the natives, who were unable to fight back due to a massive technological gap between the two nations. The newcomers built up their new capital at Salgden for years before going on to conquer more lands. Other major cities include |Avatar and Patience. The nickname of the state is "That Other State." (said in a joking fashion).

Stuart
Stuart is the small island to the west of Courtney. It is not notable for much, with no significant urban populations anywhere on the island. The default capitol is Capitol Hill, with a population of 137. The raising of sheep and creation of dairy products are popular on the island.

Wendooya
Wendooya is the central state of Deketopia. The capital, with a population of 10 million, is Deketropolis, which is also the capital city of the entire country. Contrary to popular belief, the name of the state does not come from a Bullian word. It is actually a bastardized version of the words "when do you." The words were misinterpreted as a phrase used by the natives, and the state was named as such. The area was home to an ancient tribe during the Ice Age, but they mysteriously vanished, leaving the land uninhabited for centuries until the Huaynan took over. A few years after Popeya fell to the Imperial Deketopians, the inhabitants evacuated and fled to Impishidea and Ludenia. The adventurers took over the entire state with little resistance. After the armies moved on, Wendooya was left to stagnate. It experienced little population change until the 1900s, when miners used nitroglycerin to blast their way through the Lucky Mountains, reaching the Lucky Mountain Valley. This sudden discovery of extremely fertile farmland caused a huge population boom. The state was put on the map. In the 1930s, the land surrounding the Valley was incorporated as Dastopolis, the new capital of Dastopia. Just a few years later, the Second Revolution occurred, and the city was renamed Deketropolis, the capital city of Deketopia. All sorts of building projects were initiated as the Lucky Mountain Range was scoured for resources. Now, the city has a population of 10 million. Other major cities include Havard and Sandy Bay. The state has the nickname of "The Capital Wasteland."

West Ravenessia
West Ravenessia is a northerly state in the Commonwealth. Its capital is the similarly named Ravenopolis, with a population of 9 million. The land on which West Ravenessia lies was a forest on the northern border of Dastopia, and was unsettled until an influx of refugees and the government from the destroyed nation of Ravenessia (otherwise known as Smellyfishheadland by certain natives of Melivorica) colonized the territory. During the Dastopian Civil War, they tried to claim land belonging to Deketopia. The combined factors of a weak government and invading Deketopians toppled the nation once more, and the land was divided into two Deketopian states: West and East Ravenessia. The two states now compete for the title of Greater Ravenessia, each one claiming to have that title instead of the other state. Other major cities include Touchdown and LittleBigTown. The nickname is "The Raven State"

The 17th State
Deketopia only has one extraneous territory, and thus only one possible candidate for statehood.

Palmetto Island
Deketopia won Palmetto Island in an auction from Sunkistodia in 2009. Back then, the island was completely devoid of human life, though exotic flora and fauna such as the Saw Palmetto (for which the island is named) blanket the island. The island is mainly used as an observatory and fishery. There is now a growing settlement on the eastern tip that governs the island, known as Serenoa. The city has a population of 450,000, and the entire island has a population of a half million. Because the island is so small and remote, it will most likely remain a territory indefinitely.