Romanistan
Romani Republic Republika Romani (language?) | |
---|---|
Anthem: "Gelem, Gelem" (English: "We Remember, We Remember") | |
Location of Romanyland (green) in Europe. Location of Romanyland (green) in Europe. | |
Capital and largest city | Romanivar |
Inter-ethnic languages | Russian |
Ethnic groups (2014; excluding Transnistria) |
75.1% Moldovan 7.0% Romanian 6.6% Ukrainian 4.6% Gagauz 4.1% Russian 1.9% Bulgarian 0.36% Romani 0.07% Poles 0.89% other |
Demonym(s) | Moldovan |
Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic |
Igor Dodon | |
Ion Chicu | |
Zinaida Greceanîi | |
Legislature | Parliament |
Formation | |
1944 | |
1947 | |
18 July 1989 | |
• Romani Republic declared | 15 June 1990 |
Area | |
• Total | 33,846 km2 (13,068 sq mi) (135th) |
• Water (%) | 1.4 |
Population | |
• 01.01.2020 estimate | 2,640,438 (142nd) |
• Density | 86.2/km2 (223.3/sq mi) (93th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $27.271 billion |
• Per capita | $13,574 |
GDP (nominal) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $12.037 billion |
• Per capita | $4,498 |
Gini (2014) |
26.8 low |
HDI (2018) |
0.711<ref name="UNHDR"> high · 107th |
Currency | Love (MDL) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +373 |
Internet TLD | .md |
Romanistan, officially called the Romani Republic, is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, this served as a homeland for the persecuted Romani people after the Pojramos. It became a Soviet satellite in 1946 until 1990, when Romanistan officially changed their government to a non-Communist government.
Romanistan is a member of the United Nations and is a candidate member of the European Union. Romanistan is also a member of the the World Bank, UNESCO, NATO, WTO, COE, and OSCE. Romanyland is a developing country and is 112th on the Human Development Index.
Etymology
History
Attempts at Assimilation
During the era of enlightened absolutism , policies towards Romani-speaking minorities underwent radical changes. The failure of attempts to permanently remove the Roma from Europe led, in the second half of the eighteenth century, to the attempts of forced assimilation as an alternative to expulsion. The coercive measures adopted were intended to lead the Roma to give up their nomadic lifestyle, in an attempt to transform parts of the "unproductive" population into "obedient, respectable and diligent people." The coercion to make them settle and live in rural areas, or learning other urban trades, according to the idea that they would easily accept giving up their culture, should thus have led to effective integration into the economic system and becoming "good Christians".The fundamental assumption of these Enlightenment policies was based on the conception that Roma culture was "inferior". This principle supported the need, in many cases, to remove children from their families to be educated with Christian values of the time.
This policy, inaugurated in Spain in 1600, was carried out by Maria Theresa, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in Transylvania, influencing other European sovereigns in the following decades.
Romani People's Republic
After World War II, Romanistan became a People's Republic in 1947, establishing a monoethnic Romani state. All other ethnic groups were with the order of Soviet authorities were "repatriated to their country of origin" or moved to a different country. Romanistan was from the top-down, a Soviet satellite state, even more so than the new Soviet satellite states. Most of the leadership were Soviet Romanies and obscure functionaries. Andrei Taranov, the former leader of the Soviet Romani association became the new leader of the state, with Ivan Rom-Lebedev as the prime minister.
Nomadism was deemed to be feudalistic and banned, and all people are herded into either collective farms or cities. Forced industralizaton was implemented, and most of the pre-1946 history of the Romani People's Republic were altered to communist tastes or destroyed; however most of the important economic infrastructure remained and were upgraded. The RPR, however, were required by the Soviets to supply them with raw materials in exchange for aid. 20,000 people were either executed or imprisoned for collaboration, "parasitism", and refusal to work. Neighboring East European countries forcibly patriated most of their Romani to Romanistan, and an elaborate surveillance system was put into place to prevent them from going back to nomadism. The Romanistan's economic growth was said to be only matched by fellow Communist country Albania in Eastern Europe; Romanistan's national income growth was 23% and 51% higher than the world and European average, respectively. Romanistan received a greater proportion of aid from the Soviet Union than any other East European country, due to the need to build the country from the top-up.
The Romani People's Republic was general perceived as loyal to the Soviet Union, and it helped put down anti-Soviet uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Because of ethnic ties, the Romani were also used as intermediaries between the Soviets and the Indians.
Andrei Taranov became the longtime leader of the Romani People's Republic until his death in 1971.
Present Day
Politics
Romanistan is a constitutional republic with a unicameral parliamentary system. The government is elected through competitive, multi-party elections. The constitution of Romanistan establishes separate branches of executive, legislative, and judicial power. The executive branch of Romanistan is headed by a President, who serves as the head of state. The President is elected by popular vote and serves a single term of five years. The prime minister, appointed by the president with parliament's support, serves as the head of government and is responsible for day-to-day administration of the country. The prime minister forms a cabinet, subject to parliamentary approval. The Presidential Palace in Foros is the official residence of the president.
The legislative power of Romanistan is vested in a unicameral Parliament, consisting of 100 representatives. They are elected for three-year terms and can be re-elected twice. The largest party is the Romani National Party, a conservative party, holding 49 of the seats.
The judiciary in Romanistan is a separate branch of the government and is tasked with interpreting the Constitution and laws of Romanistan. It consists of a Supreme Court, regional courts, and local courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land and its judges are appointed by the President with approval from the National Assembly.
Foreign Relations
Romanistan's foreign policy is for a co-ooperative framework between other countries; however disputes between Romanistan, Romania and Hungary remain due to the nature of the creation of Romanistan. Romanistan's concern is the treatment of the Romani people living in Romania and Hungary, who are poorer than average in these countries and even poorer than the Romani majority in Romanistan.
Geography
The Transylvanian Plateau, is about 350 meters nights, is drained by the Muresh, Somesh, Krish, and Olt rivers, as well as other tributaries of the Danube; the northern part of it is located in Romanistan.
Rivers
Romanistan is a part of the Danube catchment area. Major rivers include the Muresh in the southeast and the Somesh in the northeast. Many Moldavian and Wallachian rivers also originate from the Romani State like the Bishtrita, Tatros, Bodza, and the Prahova rivers.
Climate
Romanistan has a continental climate, though there are also oceanic and Mediterranean influences. The average annual temperature is 9-11°C in the plains, 6-9°C in the hills and 0-2°C in the high mountains. The distribution of precipitation also changes according to the topography: 700-1200 mm in the mountains, 500-800 mm in the hills and basins, 500-600 mm in the plains.
Administrative Divisions
Romanistan is divided into Counties plus the capital city of Foros. The three eastern countries have autonomous status.
Economy
Romanistan's economy is classified as an upper-middle-income country. During the Soviet era, it had to rebuild from scratch and train the Romani people in operating the nascent infrastructure. Due to proximity to the USSR, it was able to secure aid and build a comparable infrastructure. After the fall of the USSR, the economy, never stable, almost collapsed. Despite strong recovery and economic performance, Romanistan remained one of the poorest countries in Europe. While it has a large young population, it is slowly also aging, and unemployment is high due to lack of opportunities.
Agriculture
As a region rich in fertile soil, Romanistan’s economy is heavily based on agriculture. The country produces a variety of crops, including wheat, corn, and sunflowers. The agricultural sector employs a significant portion of the population and contributes substantially to the country’s GDP.
Industry
Romanistan has a diverse industrial sector, with significant contributions from heavy industries such as steel production and machinery manufacturing, which were developed during the Soviet era. The country also has a growing light industry sector, producing goods like textiles and food products.
Services
The service sector in Romanistan is growing rapidly, particularly in areas like information technology and tourism.
Energy
Romanyland has substantial energy resources, including natural gas and coal. The country also has potential for renewable energy development, particularly in wind and solar power.
Trade
Romanyland’s trade is diversified, with key export products including machinery, agricultural products, and energy resources. The country imports a variety of goods, including high-tech equipment and consumer goods.
Demographics
Population
Religion
The majority of the population of Romanistan professes the Christian faith. The majority adheres to the Eastern Orthodox faith.
Culture
Originally, Romanistan as a part of Transylvania had a rich culture consisting of Romanian, Hungarian, German, and Jewish elements. Following the establishment of Romanistan, these was discarded in favor of Romani culture, which imported Soviet Romani cultural consciousness to the now majority Romani population. However, after the fall of the communist regime, this Romani-supremacist cultural strain was repudiated in favor of acceptance of Romanistan's multicultural past.