United People's Committees
United People's Committees of the Andes | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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Motto: Ordem y Libertad (Spanish: Order and Liberty) | |
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Anthem: Marcha Tupac Amarú | |
 | |
| Capital | Bogotá |
| Largest city | Lima |
| Official languages | |
| Recognised regional languages | |
| Demonym(s) | Andean, Cepuano/Cepuana |
| Government | Federal Council single-party republic |
| Chairman Andres Moreno | |
| President Judith Sagos de la Soy | |
| Legislature | People's Congress of the Andes |
| Assembly of Andean Nations (only consulting) | |
| Independence from Spain | |
| 27 May 1717 | |
| 1819 | |
| 19 October 1968–14 June 1970 | |
• Formation of the People's Congress of Ayacucho | 19 October 1968 |
| Population | |
• Census | 130,569,055 |
| Currency | Andean Peso (PAN) |
| Time zone | UTC–4 to –5 |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +58 |
| ISO 3166 code | AND |
| Internet TLD | .an |
The United People's Committees of the Andes (UPCA; Spanish: Comités Populares Unidas de los Andes; CPUA), also known as the United People's Committees (UPC), the Andean Committees, or simply the Andes, is a transcontinental sovereign state spanning northwestern South America and the Isthmus of Panama. It stretches from the Caribbean Sea in the north along the Pacific to border the Chile to the south, Bolivia to the southeast, and Brazil to the east. The country has been modeled as a one-party Marxist-Landonist federal republic since 19 October 1968, when the first "People's Committee" was formed in Ayacucho after a peasant uprising in the region, sparking the Colombian Civil War. Since then, the Andes Liberation Action has been the single ruling party of the country, implementing the concept of popular democracy as a means of governing. The Andes are predominantly Hispanophone, with Spanish as the main official language, though Quechua and Aymara are widely spoken in the west and south of the countries, Arawakan languages dominate the indigenous communities in the north. The largest cities of the UPCA are Lima, Caracas, Bogotá and Quito.
The Andes is a megadiverse country with one of the most ecologically diverse flora and fauna in the world. Its territory encompasses Amazon rainforests, highlands, grasslands, deserts, and alpine mountains. It is the only country in South America with coastlines and islands along both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
It is a member of major international and regional organizations including the League of Nations, the Chattanooga Pact, the OMEAD, and ICMMO. Its economy is partially planned, based on Marxist-Landonist principles, in contrast to standard market economies.
Etymology
The term "Andes" is an endonym for the Andes mountains by the native Quechua people, derived from the word "Anti". From 1819 to 1978 the country was officially known as Gran Colombia, named after the Genoese discoverer Christopher Columbus, who claimed the land for the Spanish crown and established permanent contact between the New World and Europe.
The decision to replace the old name with a more general geographic term had multiple reasons, primarily to cut the connection between the colonial past and the Andean people, which were felt to be too centered around the Spaniard white ruling class and not inclusive to the very sizable Native, Afro-Andean and Mestizo population. Another reason was to prevent separatism inside the already communist controlled regions during the civil war, in the region around Lima in particular.
The demonym "Cepuano", commonly used in Latin America comes from the abbreviation of the full name of the Andes in Spanish, "Comités Populares Unidos de los Andes" (CPUA). The name differs in other countries though; in Anglo-America (with the exception of the United Commonwealth that has adapted the name "Andean" fairly quickly) and Europe the term "Colombian" is still widely used, often causing confusion between Andeans and users of the old term, since in the UPCA the word Colombian is only used to refer to things and people from the Federal State of Colombia.
Geography
The United People's Committees stretch from the Isthmus of Panama in the north to the Atacama desert and its extensions in the south, bordering the Amazon basin in the east. The Pacific ocean and the Caribbean sea form the western and northern coastal lines. The country borders Central America in the north, Brazil in the east and the south, the Guyana in the east and Bolivia and Chile in the south. The country is mountainous throughout, with the largest mountain range being the Andes mountains after which the country is named. The largest peak of the country is the Waskaran in the state of Perú, where also the largest lake of the country is found, Lake Titicaca, which is shared with Bolivia.
Climate
The climate of the Andes is generally warm, humid and rainy, with few seasonal variation due to its location on the Equator. The climate itself can vary from region to region; as the north and the lower altitudes near the coast reflect the climate in which the vast rain forests flourish, the interior La Sierra (Spanish for the highlands) region is arid and cooler, averaging in only 8.4 °C (47.1 °F) in Puno at Lake Titicaca, while in Venezuela there can be average temperatures of about 27°C (80.6°F). It is important to note that the Andes contain a large variety of microclimates, and altitude plays a large role in the climate of a region. The Andes are also greatly affected by a weather phenomenon called El Niño, causing heavy thunderstorms and strong rainfall from April to October,this leads to fish kills and floods which can devastate local fishing or agricultural industries.
Flora and Fauna
The UPCA are one of the so called megadiverse countries, meaning that there are over 5000 endemic species of flora and fauna within the country. The UPCA especially are highly diverse among those countries, as most federal states could be considered as megadiverse on their own. Among the best known large animal are the Alpaca, jaguar and the Andean Condor, with the latter two being the national animals of the Andes. Apart from the native species, there are several imported species of animals like horses, cattle or pigs. The spix's macaw which is now endemic to Venezuela was migrated there after it went extinct in its native habitat in Brazil. The cultivation of potatoes and corn has a long tradition in the Andes, as the highlands are the native area of those crops and are ever since a staple food of its inhabitants.
History
Pre-Columbian Andes
See: Pre-Columbian Peru, Pre-Colonial Colombia and Inca Empire
Independence and early years
As the might of the Spanish Empire dwindled after the Napoleonic wars, the Viceroyalty of New Granada became de facto independent. This combined with the aftershock of the Comunero revolt led to an increasing demand for national independence. In 1819 Simón Bolívar returned to South America and began to lead a pro-independence force in the western part of the country. The founding document of Colombia was the Constitution of Cúcuta proclaiming the Republic of Colombia, later known as "Gran Colombia" or "Greater Colombia". After defeating the Spanish and beating the last pockets of royalist resistance in the early 1820s, Bolívar turned to Peru. The simultaneously ongoing fight for Peruvian independence was supported by numerous South American nations, including Colombia.
Expanding the Confederation
The recently Spanish colony of Panama joined the Republic in 1821, Pasto, Quito and Guayaquil a year later. Even though Cisplatina and Brazil had great interest in Peruvian independence and the Spaniards were defeated swiftly, but Bolívar feared that Peru might become another addition to Cisplatina or give Brazil access to the Pacific and endanger the Republic. Bolivarian troops entered Peru in 1823 with a force of 15,000 men and aided the Peruvian leader in his fight against remaining royalists in the highlands of the Andes. By 1824 the Colombians also increased their political influence over Peru, where the first party in Peru, the Partido Civil, became a de facto tool of the Colombian rulers around the year 1830. The fighting was not settled when the last royalists were defeated though, the differences between the supporters of the Colombians (commonly known as the "Liberales") and the Peruvian separatists (commonly known as the "Nacionales") escalated quickly and more fighting ensued around 1835, sparking the Colombian-Peruvian War, that caused the occupation and de facto annexation of Peru, even though Peru stayed formally independent until 1860.
Government and politics
The Andes are organized as a federal council single-party republic. Despite the Communist Party of the Andes being the only legally operating party in the country, elections are still held and independent candidates as well as representatives from the national minorities can and regularly do hold positions of power especially on the local and occasionally on the state level, but rarely on national level. The country is divided into six federal states (Spanish: Estados federales): Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, Panamá and Guayaquil with the capital city of Bogotá in the north of the country. Each state is further divided into regions which are in turn made up of departements.
Political system
The United People's Committees of the Andes are a federal single-party council republic with the People's Congress as its formally highest legislative body that elects the Supreme National Council from its midst. The Supreme National Council is a body to exercise collective executive leadership of the country, with the President of the People's Congress as its head serving as both the head of government and the head of state. The Chairman of the Communist Party of the Andes and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Andes however is probably the most influential person of the state, often being regarded as the de facto leader of the nation. Despite the extensive powers of the party and the president, many policies are decided by the People's Committees in the Departements or on state level through plebiscites while spontaneous social movements often have an impact on the official mass organisations as well and influence the policies and positions of the Communist Party. All institutions are made up of delegates from the individual People's Committees and in case of the People's Congress of delegates from the State Congresses. The delegates act according to an imperative mandate and can be recalled from their position at any time if the delegate does not act according to the political line their local or state committee has collectively decided upon before.
Councils
People's Congress
Role of the Communist Party
Administrative divisions
| Federal State | Capital | Flag | Population | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panamá | Ciudad de Panamá | 
|
75,417 km2 | |
| Colombia | Santiago de Cali | 
|
1,141,748 km2 | |
| Ecuador | Quito | 
|
97.805 km2 | |
| Guayaquil | Santiago de Guayaquil | 
|
185.756 km2 | |
| Perú | Lima | 
|
1,285,216 km2 | |
| Venezuela | Caracas | 
|
916,445 km2 |
Military
The armed forces of the Andes, officially known as the Bolivarian People's Liberation Army of the Andes are made up of the People's Army (Ejército Popular, EP), People's Navy (Armada Popular, AP) and the People's Military Airforce (Fuerzas Armadas Populares del aire, FAPA). The main objective of the Bolivarian People's Liberation Army is the defense of the Andean state and its territory, as well as the defense of the international and Andean revolution.
The BPLA was founded in 1955 as the Colombian People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the All-Colombian Communist Party and was renamed to the Bolivarian People's Liberation Army in 1978, when the country was renamed to the Andes and the last remnants of the Gran Colombian Armed Forces were integrated into the army. Over the course of the Cold War the BPLA was involved in numerous conflicts across the world, such as the Internal conflict in Ethiopia, the Antillean War and the Essequibo War.
Currently the BPLA is the second largest army in the western hemisphere with 1,304,900 active personell and around 1,000,000 reservists, many of which are active in the People's Militias (Milicias Populares, MP). All Andeans, both males and females between the age of 18 and 28 are required to serve in the BPLA for at least 18 months. The MPs can be called to arms to wage a guerrilla war and organize resistance in case of an invasion or to defend the political order of the country like during the 2021 Andean constitutional crisis.
When they are not called up by the State Comittees the MPs serve as vigilante groups to support or replace the executive branch in the rural areas. The army, police force and militias closely cooperate to fight organized crime in both urban and rural communities. Militias are directly under the decentralized command of the State Committees of the Communist Party of the Andes whereas the Armed Forced are under the command of the National Defence Committee of the Andes.
All officers and non-commissioned officers can be forced to step down from their position when three quarters of their unit vote in favor and evidence for said abuse can be provided. Milicianos (members of the MPs) are directly elected by the community from a pool of army veterans and are approved by the local CPA officials. The Milicianos can also be recalled from their position if the local People's Committe's entire membership votes in favor of an impeachment.
Economy
Since the revolution of 1968, the Andean economy has been completely collectivized and a means of production completely according to need is set as a long-term goal for the country. The UPCA has a partially planned economy with full planning in the resource extraction sector like timber, crude-oil production and mining, and a workplace democracy in the manufacturing, agricultural and service sector that is subject to only very broad planning. The six federal states (excluding the capital district of Bogotá) have been heavily industrialized over the second half of the 20th century, but each still has its main focus on a special field like agriculture, resource extraction, manufacturing or the service sector. This model of decentralized autarky was designed in the mid-1970s, when international embargo against the nation urged the Andean economists to work around trade bans.
Employment and working conditions
The right to work is part of the Constitution since the establishment of the UPC in 1971. Both men and women are employed in both "blue collar" and "white collar" jobs and the unemployment rate is below 1.5% which makes it one of the lowest in the world. The concept of the housewife has almost completely vanished from Colombian families, but mothers can get a paid leave for 18 months after the birth of their child. Both schools and daycare are designed to fit the needs of families in which both parents are the breadwinners. Remarkable are the short work days of the average Andean; a 2017 study revealed that the average Andean works around 32 to 35 hours per week (on average 6.5 hours per day). Night shifts are common in almost all manufacturing and service businesses.
Natural resources
According to studies from 2016, around 20% of the global crude oil reserves are located in the UPCA. The vast majority of them are found in the Federal State of Venezuela, especially in the northern Zulia district. Smaller deposits exist in the federal states Ecuador and Guayaquil. An estimate of around 993,215,000,000 barrels of oil are deposited in the entirety of the UPCA, most of which are directly refined into petroleum, gasoline, or other fuels.
Tourism
Since the late 1990s, tourism has become an increasingly important part of the Andean economy. Since 2000 the number of vacation complexes, tourist beaches and guided hiking tours has quadrupled. Especially visitors from the United Commonwealth, Quebec and other Latin American countries spend their vacations in the country, but a rising number of Sierrans and Superians have found the Andean Caribbean shores as affordable alternatives to the often pricy resort hotels in the Antilles as well. Besides the extensive natural parks such as the Colombian Highlands National Park, ancient sites such as Machu Picchu and the Caribbean Beaches in the state of Panamá, many foreigners use their stay in the country to consume certain recreational drugs such as Ayahuasca or unprocessed coca leaves, which are both legal to possess and consume in the UPC. While processed cocaine is generally illegal to possess, tourists who are caught with only a small amount may be punished with a fine in most instances.
Agriculture
Education
All responsibility for the education of the country falls on the Education Committees of the various states that collectively decide education reforms and the general curricula that are to be implemented nation wide. The State Education Committees retain a great degree of autonomy, particularly in regards of language and culture relating topics, but also in the sciences to aid rural areas that have been significantly less developed than the urbanized coast. All education in the Andes is generally free with 7% of the annual GDP being invested in the education system, making it one of the best funded in the world, however the conditions and quality of the equipment and buildings can vary from region to region.
Preschool
Preschools in the Andes are generally not intended to convey a curriculum but rather to teach the children basic social skills and to foster the general curiosity of the children. Instead, much of the time is dedicated to creative endeavors such as painting, crafting or playing with other children, making it more akin to a daycare facility. Preschools are not mandatory but strongly encouraged as it has become common for both mothers and fathers working full time jobs. Unlike schools the preschools are not entirely free with a monthly fee being charged for lunches that averages at around 200 Pesos (ca. K$ 20).
Primary school
Education is mandatory for every child, private schools or home schooling are not permitted. Primary school begins from the age of 5 and lasts for five years, though children can enroll at the age of 4 if they are considered to have the social and cognitive abilities to do so. During primary school general skills such as simple mathematics, reading and writing are taught, classes for second languages apart from Spanish (usually French or English) also begin to take place around 4th grade. Grading does not exist during primary school and linear education is only introduced gradually, taking inspiration from Montessori education. Physical exercises are of great importance throughout the education of a child as well.
Secondary education
The colegio general, or high school begins in the 6th grade and ends after six years. There are two possible certificates one may obtain: Licencia I,Licencia II and Licensia III (License I, II and III). Both can be used to qualify for universities, the difference lies within the contents of the education and the student is not required to chose between the certificates. A License I degree is handed out for students exceeding in the natural sciences and mathematics, License II is for students who have focused on practical work including engineering and computer science but also practical work such as handcrafting with metal or wood. License III is given to students who have focused on linguistics, social and political sciences as well as pedagogy and economics. There is no distinction of "higher" or "lower" education in regards of the different degrees and the degree is only determined in the last year of the colegio. Between the seventh and twelfth grade, classes are accompanied by "practical education", where the student can apply for an internship in a subject of their choice, being able to choose between four fields: "computer engineering and science", "handcraft and technical engineering", "social work and nursery" and "economics and administration". School subjects are also broadly centered around these fields and the students can select their "focus subjects" every second semester. Besides the focus subjects it is mandatory to continuously take classes in Spanish, one foreign language (usually English or French), mathematics, history or politics and physical education.
Etnoeducación
According to Article 9 Section 4 of the Andean constitution indigenous peoples are entitled to educate their children in their native languages. Several schools particularly in the Inca Autonomous Region in the far south, the Nasa Autonomous Region on the Pacific coast and the Kuna Autonomous Region in the North of the country have multiple schools from pre-school to high school that teach primarily or exclusively in the native languages apart from mandatory Spanish classes and other foreign language classes.
Culture
Demographics
Languages
Religion
| Affiliation | % of Andean population | |
|---|---|---|
 Christian
|
74 | |
 Roman Catholic
|
62 | |
| Protestant
|
10 | |
 Other Christian
|
2 | |
 Jewish
|
1.1 | |
 Muslim
|
2 | |
 Native religions
|
0.9 | |
 Unaffiliated
|
19 | |
 Not specified
|
3 | | |
| Total | 100 | |
The United People's Committees are traditionally a Christian country, with the first Catholic missionaries arriving in what is now the UPC during the Spanish conquest of the Chibchan Nations, together with the Spanish conquistadores in the early 16th century. During the colonial rule and after the conquest of the Inca Empire, several Catholic orders sent missionaries to South America, such as the Jesuits, the Franciscans and the Dominicans.
The Catholic Church played a prominent role in colonial politics, and it was only until the Spanish American wars of independence and the subsequent independence of Gran Colombia that lead to a secular state with the Constitution of 1819, that would grant full freedom of religion and a strict separation of state and church. Catholicism stayed the main religion of the population, with the exception of a small Jewish and indigenous minority.
After the Second Western Schism the Roman Catholic Church was not outright banned, but faced repressions by the state and Roman priests were under constant surveillance by the state. Meanwhile the Avignonese Catholic Church enjoyed a greater deal of freedoms and was aided by the state to become the dominant church in Colombia. This was no coincidence, as shortly after the Second Western Schism the segregationist and deeply anti-communist military dictatorship of Luis Sanchez was established and sought to silence every dissent. Attempts to ban the Roman Church were not pursued in fear of the considerable Roman-Catholic population that has barely had any clashes with the Avignonese Catholics in day to day life, with marriages and even masses being held with mixed confessions in the rural areas. The religious tolerance within the population and the general unpopularity of the Sanchez-regime in the late 1940s and early 1950s lead to a rise in the popularity of Roman teachings, particularly in the rural and urban poor population, coinciding with the rise of left-wing and liberal opposition groups beginning their armed struggle against the military dictatorship. When the Second Republic of Gran Colombia was established, the Avignonese were in decline due to their association with the Sanchez regime. Of particular importance were the writings and sermons of the Roman-Catholic priest and later Chairman of the All-Colombian Communist Party Camilo Velazquez, who would be a key figure in syncretizing revolutionary socialist ideas with Roman social teachings and popularize the idea of liberation theology within Latin America.
Following the Colombia War and the development of close relations with Indonesia, Muslim communities began to grow in the urban centers of the country. Especially Quito and Barranquilla are known for their large Indonesian and Muslim populations and neighborhoods. Interreligious marriages and relationships between Christians and Muslims became more common in recent decades as a result of the overall secularization of the society.
See also
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