Countries of the Kingdom of Sierra

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Countries of the Kingdom of Sierra

Map of the Kingdom of Sierra (colored by country).svg

  •      Bajaría
  •      Deseret
  •      Hawaii
  •      Sierra[lower-roman 1]
Category Administrative division
Location Kingdom of Sierra
Found in Legal jurisdictions
Created June 23, 1950
Number 4 (as of 2021)
Possible status SAU regions (4)
Legal jurisdictions (4)
Government Devolved legislatures (3)
None (1)
This article is part of a series on the
Politics of the Kingdom of Sierra
Coat of arms of Sierra.svg

The Kingdom of Sierra comprises four constituent countries: Bajaría, the Deseret, Hawaii, and Sierra. The countries are non-sovereign entities with equal political status and are governed by the Charter for the Kingdom of Sierra. Sierra, which is often distinguished as Federal Sierra, is the largest of the four countries and is unique among the four as it is the only country which may administer the affairs and execute the powers of the Kingdom as the Kingdom itself in its own right, including on all matters which specifically affect Federal Sierra. Due to the extensive overlap between the governments of Federal Sierra and the Kingdom of Sierra, Federal Sierra does not have its own distinct, devolved government. Bajaría, the Deseret, and Hawaii have their own devolved governments and legislatures which a degree of significant autonomy and political independence. All four countries are dependent on the Kingdom for certain reserve matters including national defense, foreign affairs, and monetary policy.

The Kingdom has been described as a sui generis political arrangement which features a form of asymmetrical federalism (a federacy) that combines elements of a federation, a confederation, and a devolved unitary state. The institutions mentioned in the Charter are governed by the Constitution of Sierra, which applies fully within Federal Sierra. The Sierran constitution is selectively incorporated by the Deseret and Hawaii on general matters (which both have their own constitutions), and has full effect on reserve matters.

Internationally, Bajaría, the Deseret, Hawaii, and Federal Sierra do not appear on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) list of countries, although its list of Kingdom of Sierra subdivisions uses the term "country" to refer to each of the constituent countries. The Kingdom of Sierra is often represented internationally (such as in the League of Nations and the Conference of American States) by its shortened common name, Sierra, leading to some confusion between the Kingdom and Federal Sierra, whose common name is also simply Sierra. However, its long name, the Kingdom of Sierra, is always used to clarify itself as the sovereign whole representative of the entire Kingdom. In domestic and international sporting competitions, the countries compete separately with their own national sports governing bodies, although they compete together as the Kingdom in the Olympic Games.

Between 1950 and 2021, the number of constituent countries remained at 3. Throughout the 20th century and 21st century, there have been proposals for additional constituent countries, including for the former Sierran territories of Alaska and Tondo, the Channel Islands (which has since become the 24th province of Federal Sierra since spring 2021), the now-independent Ussuria, and the territories which constitute El Norte, and the neighboring country of Astoria. In early 2021, following the results of the 2021 El Norte status referendums, the Kingdom integrated the El Norte territories as Bajaría, which became the fourth constituent country of the Kingdom of Sierra. Following the integration of Bajaría, other proposals have seen renewed interest. A major proposal has been to combine the Sierran territories of West Colorado and West New Mexico as a constituent country known as New Canaan.

Overview

Name Flag Capital Legislature Executive Legal systems Jurisdiction PSA
Bajaría Flag of Bajaría.svg Salsipuedes Parliament of Bajaría Provisional Government of Bajaría Bajarían law, Mexican law Bajaría State
Deseret Flag of Deseret.svg Salt Lake City Council of Fifty Government of the Deseret Deseretian law, Mormon law Deseret Area
Hawaii[a] Flag of Hawaii (Sierra).svg Honolulu National Hawaiian Congress Government of Hawaii Hawaiian law Hawaii State
(Reservation state)
Sierra[b] Flag of Sierra (civil).svg Porciúncula Sierran Parliament's Special Committee for Federal Sierra[c] Government of Sierra [d] Sierran law Sierra Province
Kingdom of Sierra Flag of Sierra.svg Porciúncula Sierran Parliament Government of the Kingdom of Sierra K.S. law Kingdom of Sierra PSA
  1. ↑ Full name is the Principality of Hawaii
  2. ↑ Also known as Federal Sierra
  3. ↑ The Sierran Parliament makes all laws for Sierra, subject to the Sierran-only vote procedures.
  4. ↑ The Sierran Government, the Executive Council of Sierra, the provinces, and territories exercise executive power in Sierra.

Statistics

Name Population (2020) Area Pop. density
(per sq mi; 2020) 		Gross value added (2020)
Numbers % sq mi % $ % $ per capita
Bajaría 12,080,340 14% 130,466 23% 92.59 755 billion 11% 62,492
Deseret 2,763,885 3% 84,899 15% 32.55 215 billion 4% 77,983
Hawaii 1,360,301 2% 10,931 2% 124.44 92 billion 2% 68,004
Sierra 59,603,611 71% 473,207 83% 125.96 5,085 billion 71% 85,320
Rest of the Kingdom[a] 7,674,642 9% 2,423[b] –[c] 3,167.41 1,082 billion 15% 87,825
Kingdom of Sierra 83,482,779 100% 569,037 100% 146.70 7,127 billion 100% 85,370
  1. ↑ Rest of the Kingdom, including Sierra's territories and crown dependencies
  2. ↑ Does not include area for the Sierran Antarctic Territory, West Colorado, and West New Mexico
  3. ↑ Officially not counted towards Kingdom's area statistics

Terminology and legal status

The countries of the Kingdom of Sierra are officially organized and regulated by the Charter for the Kingdom of Sierra, which is the supreme law of the Kingdom. The document is the controlling authority over the scope and powers of each country and their relationship with the Kingdom as a whole. However, much of the institutions and functions of the Charter are regulated by the Constitution of Sierra. Secondary sources of power and legal authority derives from acts of Parliament and statutory laws. CAS law has also defined the status of Sierran countries, officially recognizing a legal distinction between the four entities within the Kingdom.

Acts of Parliament

  • The Organic Act of 1896 established the Deseret as a separate, legal jurisdiction from Sierra and guaranteed autonomy from Parliament. It was described variously as a "nation", "territory", and "home rule polity". Hawaii remained a part of the Sierran legal system but was similarly granted increased autonomy. Unlike the Deseret, it was described solely as a "territory". The Organic Act has subsequently been superseded.
  • The Deseret Act of 1950, in conjunction with the Charter, forms the basis of the modern system of government in the Deseret, and refers to the Deseret as a "country" that is a "part" of the Kingdom.
  • The Hawaii Act of 1950, in conjunction with the Charter and its own constitution, forms the basis of the modern system of government in Hawaii, and refers to Hawaii variously as a "country", a "principality", and a "nation" that is a "part" of the Kingdom.
  • The Territorial Organization Act of 1977 defines the term "Federal Sierra" as "the area consisting of the twenty-three provinces of Sierra, and all insular areas, outlying islands, minor islands, sea rocks, and other possessions, excluding the crown dependencies of Cancún and Mérida and the special territory in Antarctica". This definition applies from August 9, 1977. In 2021, it was amended to include twenty-four provinces to denote the Channel Islands' admission as a province, and removed references to the crown dependencies, which were admitted as states of Bajaría.
  • The Organic Act of 2021 established Bajaría as a separate, legal entity, and jurisdiction that was granted autonomy from Parliament. Originally a proposed concept, Bajaría was made a reality with the 2021 status referendums, thus allowing the incorporation of all four El Norte territories into states for the new constituent country. Bajaría was established on March 6, 2021 with its government and political system currently being established as of March 7.

Supreme Court cases

  • Boulangier v. the Deseret (2022) – Incorporated the entirety of the Constitution of Sierra across the entire Kingdom of Sierra, making the Deseret, Hawaii, and Bajaría equally and fully subject to the protections, guarantees, and laws of the Constitution of Sierra as Federal Sierra.

Identity and nationality

National and cultural identity is complex in the Kingdom of Sierra. Within Federal Sierra, national identity is strongly influenced by the Sierran Cultural Revolution, as well as the Kingdom's history as a federal republic. Sierra itself is home to a number of regional identities, most notably, in the Styxie. Federal Sierra is a multicultural, multilingual nation, and under Sierran nationality law, citizenship can be conferred by birth or by naturalization. Sierranness is often conceptualized as an overarching state identity, while citizens identified their province, region, or nation of origin as a secondary identity. According to a 2019 study conducted by the the Sierran Institute of Cultural and Social Research, in Hawaii and the Deseret, people were more likely to identify themselves as either Hawaiian or Deseretian first, and Sierran second, compared to their Federal Sierran peers, who see no distinction between Federal Sierra and the Kingdom. Unlike the other three countries, Bajaría is a Spanish-speaking majority nation and has closer cultural and social ties with Mexico and the rest of Latin America. It is internationally recognized as a distinct nation, separate from Sierra, although Bajarían conservatives were more likely to identify as Sierrans, in addition to being Bajarians or Mexicans, compared to liberals and leftists.

Competitions

Each of the countries of the Kingdom of Sierra maintain their own national sports governing body and competes separately in most international sporting competitions. The most notable exceptions are the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan American Games, and the Parapan American Games, where the countries of the Kingdom of Sierra compete together under the unified Sierran Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Does not include overseas territories in the Pacific. West New Mexico is territory administered by Sierra but is not an incorporated province.

See also

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