Lingala
Commonwealth of Lingala | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
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Motto: Peace, Prosperity, and Order | |
| Capital and largest city | Novkharyolk |
| Official languages | Khraelyi, Lingalan |
| Ethnic groups (2012) |
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| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Lingalan |
| Government | Unitary Parliamentary Republic |
• Prime Minister | Stepan Sobol |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| House of Representatives | |
| Establishment | |
• Settlement of Anton's Bay | 1562 |
• Chartering of Lingala Company | 1648 |
• Lingala Act, 1903 | 1903 |
• Statute of Soliriv, 1925 | 1925 |
• Lingala Act, 1978 | 1978 |
| Area | |
• Total | 223,815 km2 (86,415 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 49,200,000 |
• 2012 census | 43,360,079 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $2,645,824,775,000 |
| Currency | Lingalan Dollar ($) (LGD) |
Lingala, officially the Commonwealth of Lingala, is a country in northern Colytheus, bordering the Jorndals Sea. With large parts of the country occupying the Fertile Crescent, Lingala is the third most populated country in Colytheus with a population of over 48 million, with a single land border with the nation of Kibet. Lingala's capital and largest city is Novkharyolk.
Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Lingala for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th century, Tserovite expeditions explored and later settled along the Jorndals coast. The Horse War of 1643 saw the annexation of the Wehonweh by the Tserov Kingdom and the creation of the Lingala Company to administer the rapidly-expanding colony, despite unsuccessful rebellions in 1733 and 1764. In 1864 the Lingala Company was forcibly merged with other failing colonial companies to form the West Colythesian Company, heralding a period of increased central oversight of Khraelyi colonial efforts. Lingalan grain exports were crucial during the Famine of 1887-92, with the Khraelyi government taking control of the West Colythesian Company to increase grain production and shipments, despite shortages in Lingala. In the aftermath of the Famine the West Colythesian Company would retain limited influence over Lingala. Lingala would gain increasing autonomy from Khraelyia throughout the 20th century, highlighted by the Statute of Soliriv, 1925, and culminating in the Lingala Act 1978, which ended any legal dependence on the Khraelyi Congress.
Lingala is a parliamentary democracy and a republic. The country's head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Representatives. The country is officially bilingual (Khraelyi, Lingalan). It is very highly ranked in international measurements of quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education, and gender equality.
A developed country, Lingala has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks highly in world rankings, with abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Lingala is a member of the Organization of Free Seterran Nations and was a founding member of the World Mandate Organization.
Etymology
While a variety of theories have been postulated for the etymological origins of Lingala, the name is now accepted as coming from the Galitan phrase Lin Galitan, meaning "Land of the Galitans". In 1549 indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Galat City used the phrase in response to questions from Deiric explorer John Halford about the name of the lands. Halford later used the word Lingala to refer to the region as a whole. By 1560 Verdantic books and maps had begun referring to the entire region of north-western Colytheus as Lingala.
Over the following years the name was used to refer to successively smaller regions, particularly as the Khraelyi government sought to control the powers of the Lingala company and its successors.
History
Indigenous civilisations before Verdantic contact (pre-1560)
The first inhabitants of Colytheus are generally hypothesised to have migrated from southern Verdantis via the Reman land bridge at least 50,000 years ago, with migration to northern Colytheus estimated to have occurred around 30000 BCE. Paleo-Colytheun remains and cave art dating back to 17400 BCE have been discovered at Chervonaryba Caves, marking the oldest verified human habitation in modern-day Lingala. Early indigenous societies cultivated maize and beans, producing an agricultural surplus that facilitated a transition to sedentary agricultural villages around 5000 BCE. Between 5000 BCE and 1500 BCE these villages rapidly gained in population, especially throughout the Fertile Crescent, with the Lacán culture flourishing around the Kibetan Bay from around 2500 BCE. This era in Northern Colytheus is considered one of the independent cradles of civilisation. The subsequent classical period saw the Qabtiha and Qabet civilisations develop in modern day Tihama and Kibet respectively, founding the region's first cities and seeing the development of the first true Colytheun writing systems.
By the 1st millennium CE metalworking had spread across the cultures of northern Colytheus, with artefacts from the era showing developed gold- and bronze-working including lost-wax casting techniques. Within Lingala archaeological evidence of worked metal dates to 800 CE, though it took until 1200 CE for the first evidence of local metalwork, including bronze spear and axe-heads and gold jewellery.
In Lingala, the largest indigenous civilisation would form in the post-classical period, with the Galitan civilisation forming a bronze-using empire that dominated much of northern Lingala and Kibet between 1300 CE and 1500 CE, before declining due to an extended period of plague and civil unrest. The first Verdantic explorers would make contact with the declining empire in 1549, spreading tales of "gold-armoured warriors" and causing a wave of new interest in the exploration of Colytheus.
Tserovite settlement and early colonial era (1560-1648)
The first Tserovite traders would arrive in Lingala in 1560, with the first trading settlement established at Anton's Bay in 1562. Early traders would find great wealth trading iron and steel tools and weaponry to the natives, whose bronze production had been damaged by the breakdown of traditional trade networks following the decline of the Galitan empire. Tserovite colonisation would proceed slowly over the following years, with numerous trading settlements established along the northern coast by Tserovite and other Verdantic traders. Relations between Tserovite traders and the natives were generally positive, with few outbreaks of violence over the first few decades of trading.
In the early 17th century the Wehonweh Confederation would rise to prominence in northern Lingala, rapidly uniting with or conquering other native states and growing to dominate much of the region. Though the Confederation would initially leave the Verdantic traders alone, as they consolidated control over the region they would make increasing demands for tribute from the foreign traders. This would come to an end in 1643 with the Horse War, a conflict sparked by the seizure of a dozen horses by the Wehonweh Confederation that resulted in an expedition of Tserovite traders led by Artem Baran storming the Wehonweh capital and conquering it. This unexpected success resulted in the Kingdom of Tserov taking formal control of their expanded colony, establishing the post of Knyaz Ofisu and later chartering the Lingala Company in 1648.
Lingala Company Era (1648-1864)
The Lingala Company would be formally chartered in 1648 by royal decree of King Boris II, following a lobbying effort by several Tserovite trader families. Granted monopoly charter to trade within the colony of Lingala (initially for 15 years, but regularly renewed), the Company would rapidly become the de facto government of the colony. While the Knyaz Ofisu of Lingala was formally the representative of the crown in the colony, the noble appointed to the position rarely travelled to the colony and was offered minimal support from the government to exercise administrative control, leaving the Knyaz Ofisu reliant on Company reports and soldiers.
This period would see the start of large-scale migration to Lingala, with the Lingala Company acquiring large quantities of prime agricultural land and advertising it to Khraelyi farmers through a system of indenture whereby the Company would fund the immigrant's passage and assign them land in exchange for a set period of labour, particularly targeting second and third sons who would otherwise see little land inheritance. The ethnically Khraelyi population of the colony expanded rapidly, growing from 10,000 in 1648 to over 200,000 by 1700.
Ongoing efforts to expand land cultivation into traditionally native lands led to a rebellion in 1733 by the Lingalan tribes. The rebellion would be initially highly successful, with native forces catching the colonists off-guard and burning several new settlements and briefly putting the colonial capital of Novkharyolk under siege. Embroiled in conflict at home the Tserovite government claimed an inability to send reinforcements. The Lingala Company sought and received a series of concessions that expanded their authority greatly in the colony, including the ability to mint their own currency, to raise and command fortresses and troops, and to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction over Lingala, effectively reducing the authority of the crown to a minimum. Using these new powers the Lingala Company to raise several additional regiments of soldiers that worked alongside colonial militias to put down the rebellion, seizing the lands of the rebelling tribes, enslaving thousands of natives, and deporting the remainder from their traditional tribal lands towards the south.
Over the following years the Company would work to expand their control over Lingala, both over the natives and increasingly the Khraelyi settlers. This prompted a colonial rebellion in 1764 by settlers protesting against increasing taxation and the increasing use of native slave labour on Company-owned farms that was put down by Company forces. Sporadic rebellions and uprisings would continue throughout the late 18th and early 19th century, though none would approach the danger of the earlier rebellions due to the widespread Company armed forces, though in the aftermath the Company would reduce taxation.
By 1800 the settler population of Lingala had grown to over 1.5 million, with a further 2.5 million natives. Throughout the early 19th century the Lingala Company would struggle, the increased costs of maintaining large military forces throughout the colony a strain on the company's finances, exasperated by the steady depletion of the Bahatahora gold mine and increased tax evasion from independent farmers who smuggled goods to the other Khraelyi entrepots maintained by rival companies. The formation of the East Khraelyi Confederation in 1844 would compound this issue, as goods exported through these entrepots could be sold freely across the Confederation, undermining the trade monopoly of the Lingala Company, and the Khraelyi War of Unification would lead to a period of heavy taxation on the Company to support the war effort. The newly-united Khraelyia would look unfondly on the Company's autonomy, and in the early 1860s would begin a series of efforts to curtail the powers of the Company, starting with a forced merger into the West Colythesian Company in 1864.
West Colythesian Company and Great Famine (1864-1901)
Prior to the unification of Khraelyia, several duchies and kingdoms had established their own colonial companies in imitation of the Lingala Company. While none had the same level of success as the early Lingala Company, after unification Khraelyia had nine different colonial companies with a charter in western and northern Colythesia, most of which were in competition with each other and making losses each year. To resolve the legal concerns raised by their mutually incompatible charters, as well as to begin curbing the autonomy of the Lingala Company, Khraelyi monarch Mykhail IV passed Resolution 6, which forcibly merged the nine Khraelyi colonial companies in the region into the West Colythesian Company, and Resolution 7 which established the Khraelyi Colonial Ministry.
Despite initial enthusiasm from the new Company, this soon began a period of political conflict between the Khraelyi government and the West Colythesian Company, with Company officials resisting efforts from the government-aligned board to impose greater control on the day-to-day affairs of Lingala. This would continue throughout the 1870s with the West Colythesian Company de facto stripped of many powers, including the imposition of limits on the number of troops and law enforcement officers they could maintain as well as the establishment of the Colonial Court of West Colythesia as a court of appeals for civil and criminal judgements made by the Company Courts.
These restrictions came to a head in the 1880s, when the Little Ice Age caused by the eruptions of volcanoes across the world led to a series of poor harvests across Khraelyia. Though Lingalan harvests were impacted, they would escape the worst of the effects, and Lingala quickly became the largest source of grain within the Khraelyi empire. Facing widespread famine the Khraelyi government passed a series of resolutions that mandated the export of Lingalan grain solely to Khraelyia at a set price, which several company officials attempted to circumvent to sell grain at market prices to other countries or to convert grain fields to more profitable crops. The Khraelyi government responded by a series of high-profile prosecutions and the temporary suspension of the Company Charter in Lingala with the establishment of Citizen Assemblies to handle local affairs in place of the company. These assemblies were the first formal self-government in Lingala since the first establishment of the Lingala Company.
This period also saw massive immigration to Lingala from Khraelyia, with nearly two million Khraelyi citizens emigrating to Lingala within the five year period of the Great Famine. This saw the ethnically Khraelyi population grow larger than the native population for the first time.
Despite the Great Famine coming to a formal end in 1892, export controls on grain would be maintained, and the temporary suspension of the company charter in Lingala would continue, restricting company operations to the other Khraelyi colonies in the region. What had initially been seen as a pragmatic move in the face of crisis profiteering grew increasingly opposed by the Lingalan agricultural sector. In 1901 Khraelyi monarch Mykhail V attempted to pass Resolution 148 which (among its other effects) would have increased the level of grain required to be exported beyond what was considered survival levels. When general strikes spread across Khraelyi port cities in response a sympathy strike broke out in Novkharyolk, halting exports between January 23rd and February 10th.
Early 20th Century Lingala (1901-1948)
Extensive lobbying by the West Colythesian Company saw the Khraelyi Congress reverse several of the punitive measures put in place by the former monarchy, including the restoration of the company charter in Lingala. This led to mass protests across Lingala, with "shadow assemblies" of Lingalan civilians forming to organise community protests and mass industrial action against WCC assets. A letter-writing campaign saw sympathetic newspapers in Khraelyia feature the protests, causing sympathetic uproar in several Khraelyi cities. Swayed by the widespread support the Khraelyi Congress passed the Lingala Act, 1903, permanently revoking the charter of the WCC in Lingala and establishing responsible self-government via the creation of the Lingalan House of Representatives. While the Khraelyi Congress retained control over Lingala's foreign affairs and the right to legislate on behalf of Lingala, and all acts of the Lingalese legislature required the approval of the Colonial Minister to enter law, this made Lingala the first Khraelyi colony to be granted this right, though the pattern would quickly be followed by Sarusan in 1904, and Karunia and Kibet in 1911.
The Grand Recession had a heavy impact on the economy of Lingala. The global downturn and subsequent protectionist measures put in place by the Khraelyi Congress seriously impacted the export-based economy of Lingala. Exports of raw materials plunged, with prices and profits dropping in every sector of the economy. Up to 30% of the labour force was out of work, with ethnically native populations reporting unemployment levels of up to 50%. The Lingalan welfare state was rapidly expanded to compensate, with one in four of the population dependent on government assistance at the peak of the recession. The fall in wheat prices led to a mass exodus of population from the farm belt to cities. Working class militancy spiked, with the Communist Party organising strikes and protest actions that often resulted in violent clashes with the police.
The aftermath of the recession led to a spike in manufacturing growth in Lingala, with the increased urban population forming a cheap labour pool. The perception that the Khraelyi Congress had ignored Lingala's suffering led to the rapid growth of autonomist political factions, ultimately leading to the Statute of Soliriv, 1925 that formally granted Lingala (and the other autonomous communities of the Khraelyi empire) equality in domestic and external affairs. While the Khraelyi Congress retained the legal right to legislate for its autonomous communities, it pledged not to use that power unless they requested and consented to it.
Lingala declared war on the Secrazchak Empire and its allies on May 8th, 1941 following their invasion of Khraelyia, entering the Great War. The first Lingalan combat deaths occurred on May 20th following an attack by Reussland aircraft on a squadron of Lingalan naval vessels travelling through the Grindgat Sea. The first Lingalan ground forces arrived in Khraelyia in July 1941. Around one and a half million Lingalans served in the armed forces during the Great War, and approximately 200,000 were killed and another 260,000 were wounded. Lingalan personnel played a key role in the maintenance of the Grindgat Corridor and serving with distinction on the Khraelyi Front. Lingala also served as an evacuation point for Khraelyi civilians during the war, with over 50,000 children evacuated from conflict zones to safety.
The Lingalan economy boomed during the war as its industries manufactured military materiel for Lingala, Khraelyia, Mestra, and Vohylt-Tvahorner. Despite a Conscription Crisis in southern Lingala in 1946, Lingala finished the war with a large army and strong economy.
Contemporary Era (1948-Present)
In the years after the Great War the Lingalan economy boomed. After two referendums in 1951 the Popelyasti Islands chose to join Lingala as a province. The post-war economic growth and the policies of a series of Liberal-led governments led to the emergence of a new Lingalan identity, marked by the implementation of official bilingualism (Khraelyi and Lingalan) in 1973, the institution of official multiculturalism in 1975, the adoption of the wheatfield flag in 1978 and the pursuit of patriation, culminating in the Lingala Act, 1978 and the adoption of a constitution, ending any legal dependence on the Khraelyi government.
Racial relations between the Khraelyi majority and the Lingalan minority have evolved throughout this period, with the Zoloto government's New Lingala programme resulting in groundbreaking and broad-reaching laws, policies, and a constitutional amendment to address institutional racism and historical injustice faced by the Lingalan minority. A societal shift in the roles of women led to large increases in female labour participation throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Internationally, Lingala is an active participant in a range of international forums and maintains a modern military force. Lingala has deployed forces alongside Khraelyia in Mirasan, Syphaxia, and Nurmandria, and as part of WMO forces in Al-Artadal, Mestra, and Helstorig.
Geography
Lingala has a total land area of 223,815 square kilometres, divided between 185,223km2 of continental land and 38,592km2 of islands. Lingala's 7,267km long coastline primarily borders the Jorndals Sea, with the Gulf of Sarusan to the south. Lingala's sole land border is a 652km long border with Kibet to the east.
Lingala can be divided into four physiographic regions, the Wheat Belt, the Wehonweh Hills, the Kibetan Mountains, and the Popelyasti Islands. The Wheat Belt is the largely flat highly fertile region stretching across northern Lingala and Kibet, the Wehonweh Hills are a series of hills stretching across central Lingala, the Kibetan Mountains are a mountain range stretching across southern Lingala and through Kibet, and the Popelyasti Islands are a set of volcanic, largely barren islands in the central Jorndals.
Climate
Lingala is divided between a tropical climate across its southern areas and much of the Popelyasti Islands and a humid subtropical climate in the northern Wheat Belt.
In the populated north average year-round temperatures are 20°C, with maximum temperatures around 30°C and minimum around 15°C. Further south average year-round temperatures are 25°C, with seasonal variation minimal and average temperatures ranging between 25°C and 30°C. Rainfall primarily occurs in the wet season between May and November, with average rainfall levels of 160mm per month in those months and 100mm per month in other months for a total of 1,800mm of rainfall per year.
Government and politics
Lingala is a representative democracy organised as a unitary parliamentary republic. It has a tradition of liberalism and moderate political ideology. Peace, Prosperity, and Order are founding principles of the Lingalan government. Since shorty after the introduction of self-government Lingala has been dominated by two relatively centrist parties, the centre-left Lingalan Liberal Party and the centre-right Democratic Party of Lingala, who regularly form government with coalition support from a range of third parties.
The central document of the Lingalan government is the Constitution of Lingala, which establishes the existence of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government in addition to securing a range of rights. Amendments to the constitution require a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives and a majority of voters to approve in a referendum to come into force.
Legislative
The Lingalan House of Representatives is a 350-member body elected via a simple plurality ("first-past-the-post" system) in each of the country's electoral districts. Seven parties had representatives elected in the 2018 election - the Liberals, who formed a majority government with the support of the centrist and pro-native Lingalan People's Party, the Democratic Party who became the official opposition, the left-wing Social Party, the right-wing Principlist Party, the Ecology Party, and the single-member Student's Alliance. The Constitution of Lingala requires that no more than six years pass between elections, though elections can be held sooner by act of parliament and must be held should no individual hold the confidence of a majority of the House of Representatives.
Executive
The Cabinet of Lingala is the executive branch, headed by the Prime Minister, a member of the House of Representatives who holds the confidence of a majority of the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister can freely select other members of their cabinet (Ministers) and assign portfolios, with each Minister being freely able to exercise executive power as established in the Constitution or other acts of law. There is no requirement that cabinet ministers be members of the House of Representatives, though this is held as strong precedent and just three cabinet ministers have held office without also holding a seat in the House of Representatives in Lingalan history.
Judicial
The Supreme Court of Lingala is the highest court in the nation, with ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all lesser courts and original jurisdiction over certain constitutional matters. The Supreme Court exercises judicial review, allowing it to affirm or invalidate statutory law or executive regulation based on constitutionality. The Supreme Court consists of twenty-one judges, with seven randomly selected judges from among their number to preside over each case that crosses before the court. Judges serve until death or retirement, with the House of Representatives electing a replacement judge whenever a position opens from eligible judges in the lower courts. To be eligible a judge must have served in a lesser court for at least five of the prior ten years and be in good standing. The House of Representatives also elects replacement judges when positions open in lower national courts.
Judicial tradition in Lingala is inquisitorial, with each case overseen by a panel of one or more judges who actively investigate the facts of the case presented to them by questioning lawyers, prosecutors, and witnesses. Defendants are protected from self-incrimination, forced confession, and unrestricted admission of hearsay evidence. In addition, defendants have the right to counsel, public trial, and cross-examination. Lingala is notable for its extremely high conviction rate, with 97% of criminal cases that reach trial resulting in conviction.
Provinces
Lingala is a unitary republic divided into 23 administrative provinces and 29 cities. Provinces and cities are generally responsible for a range of local government services and social programs within their area of operation with elected local governments responsible for organising local services and passing ordinances. As a unitary state these local governments have no ability to make new law, except where specifically authorised by an act of government.
Foreign Relations
[WIP]
Military
The military of Lingala, the Lingalan Armed Forces, is organised into three branches; the Lingalan Army, Lingalan Naval Service, and the Lingalan Air Force.
[WIP]
Economy
Lingala has a social market economy with a highly skilled labour force and low corruption. Lingala has traditionally operated a highly export-oriented economy, with a diverse economy based around a wide range of exports. Total exports were valued at $1,381bn in 2020. Traditional large exports include machinery (21%, $290bn), refined fuels and oil (15%, $207bn), chemical products (15%, $203bn), foodstuffs and agricultural products (14%, $193bn), photo, film, and medical instruments (6%, $884bn), and plastics (6%, $829bn). Novkharyolk is the second-largest port in Colytheus, serving as a vital point of export for Colythesian oil exports to Verdantis.
Agriculture makes up around 2% of Lingala's GDP, while industry makes up around 28% and services make up 70%.
Agriculture
The historically dominant sector of the Lingalan economy, the modern Lingalan agricultural sector is a highly-mechanised industrial sector with a strong focus on international exports. The sector employs around 1.8% of the Lingalan labour force and produces upwards of $100 billion in agricultural exports per year. In addition to exporting large quantities of wheat ($6bn per year) and palm oil ($5bn per year), Lingala also produces large quantities of tropical fruits, coffee, and sugar.
Animal agriculture is also a highly productive sector of the agricultural economy, with over $60bn of animal products exported including cheese, meat, milk, and butter. Lingala has a rapidly-growing fishing fleet that primarily operates in the Jorndals Sea, that produced $4bn of exports in 2020.
Manufacturing
Lingala has a large manufacturing sector, with a focus on high-value manufacturing. Lingala is a major producer of pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, medical equipment, computers, broadcasting equipment, and plastics.
Income, poverty, and wealth
Labour force participation in Lingala is 71%, with an estimated 24.7 million people employed in Lingala in 2020. Service work employs the largest portion with 19.76 million people, with manufacturing and other industry employing 4.50 million and agriculture employing 0.44 million. Around one in five employees are unionised.
Social security in Lingala is comprehensive, divided into a national insurance scheme (Національне страхування) and an employee insurance scheme (Страхування працівників). The first covers all living in Lingala and provides a range of social benefits, while the latter provides employment-related benefits. All living in Lingala are required to pay into the social security system, including residents from outside Lingala, with few exceptions.
Національне страхування covers all residents and provides four main benefits; long-term medical care, pension care, survivor benefits, and child benefits. It is overseen by the National Insurance Bank (NSB/Нсб), and is financed through earning-related contributions of employers and employees. Employees are automatically enrolled through their wage, while unemployed pay by themselves.
Страхування працівників is compulsory for all employed people within Lingala, and covers three main benefits; unemployment benefits, sickness leave, and disability benefits. Employee contributions are automatically deducted from their wage.
Lingala has no national minimum wage. Instead wages are set per-industry by collective bargaining agreements between unions and employers associations.
As of September 2020, unemployment in Lingala is estimated at 2.4%.
Demographics
The 2012 Lingalan census enumerated a total population of 42,360,079, an increase of around 10.4 percent over the 2002 figure. It is estimated that Lingala's population surpassed 48,000,000 in 2020. The main drivers of population growth are natural growth and, to a lesser extent, immigration.
Lingala's average population density is 215 inhabitants per square kilometre, with continental Lingala having a population density of 243 inhabitants per square kilometre and the Popelyasti Islands having a population density of 80 inhabitants per square kilometre. 76.1% of the Lingalan population live in urban areas with 23.9% living in rural areas.
Ethnicity and Language
According to the 2012 Lingalan census over 95% of the Lingalan population reported being of either Khraelyi or Native Lingalan ethnicity. 70.1% of respondents reported being of Khraelyi ethnicity, 25.3% reported being of Native Lingalan ethnicity, and 4.6% of respondents reporting being of a different ethnicity.
Lingala is an officially bilingual state, with Lingalan being granted co-equal status with Khraelyi in 1973 and this status was reaffirmed in the Lingalan constitution. Over 93% of Lingalans speak Khraelyi and 39% speak Lingalan. Since 1998 it has been a requirement that the Lingalan language is taught as standard in all Lingalan schools alongside Khraelyi. Additionally, in most secondary schools at least one additional modern foreign language is mandatory, with over 60% of Lingalans under 30 years old able to converse in at least one foreign language.
Religion
Lingala is religiously diverse, with a range of beliefs and customs followed within the country. The Constitution of Lingala constitutionally protects freedom of religion, allowing individuals to assemble and worship without limitation or interference, and the government is officially committed to religious pluralism.
Rates of religious adherence have steadily decreased since the 1970s, with Altralism in decline after having once been central and integral to Lingalan culture and daily life. Although the majority of Lingalans consider religion to be unimportant in their daily lives, they still believe in God. The practice of religion is generally considered a private matter throughout Lingalan society and by the state.
The largest religion in Lingala is Altralism, with 52.0% of respondents to the 2012 Lingalan census reporting it as their religion. Shehari is the other major religion, with 8.9% of respondents reporting it as their religion. 36.2% of respondents did not report a religion, with 2.1% reporting indigenous faith and 0.8% reporting other religions.
Education
Education in Lingala is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16, and semi-compulsory between the ages of 16 and 18 (achieving a level 3 qualification allows a child to leave education after the age of 18).
Children in Lingala attend primary school between the ages of 5 and 12, with most attending an facultative first year from the age of 4. Based on an aptitude test, teacher recommendation, and the opinion of the pupil's parents or carers they progress onto one of three streams of secondary education; the допрофесійна освіта (DO), вища загальна безперервна освіта (VZBO), or підготовча наукова освіта (PNO).
- допрофесійна освіта (DO) is a four-year preparatory vocational pathway between the ages of 12 and 16, which the majority of students nationally are enrolled in. It combines vocational training with theoretical education in languages, mathematics, history, arts, and sciences, and is further subdivided by the ratio of vocational to theoretical learning. The DO aims to equip students for the job market or for progression to further vocational training at the tertiary education level.
- загальна безперервна освіта (VZBO) is a five-year primarily theoretical educational pathway between the ages of 12 and 17, aiming to prepare students to progress onto a polytechnic tertiary education.
- підготовча наукова освіта (PNO) is a six-year theoretical educational pathway between the ages of 12 and 18. Considered the most academically rigorous, it involves learning at least two modern languages and one classical language in addition to a wide range of mathematical and scientific theoretical courses, with specialised pathways depending on whether the student wishes to focus on technology or biology. The PNO aims to prepare students for a rigorous university course in a medical or engineering field.
At the tertiary level there are a further three pathways; the прикладний навчальний курс (PNK), the професійний освітній курс (POK), and науково-освітній курс (NOK). The PNK is a vocational level 3 course designed to prepare a student for a skilled trade or technical occupation, while the POK and NOK are academic level 4 courses designed to educate a student to a degree level in their field. The PNK is held at a vocational polytechnic college, while the POK and NOK are available at general and technical universities respectively and result in a three-year bachelor's degree that can be followed by a one or two-year master's degree, and then a doctoral degree program.
All Lingalan schools and universities are publicly funded and managed. Lingalan universities have a tuition fee of 3,000 L$ (around 2,400 K$) a year for students from Lingala and 22,000 L$ (around 17,500 K$) for foreign students.
Healthcare
Healthcare in Lingala is provided via a national mandatory health insurance scheme. A private health insurance market exists with non-profit health insurers offering a standard basic health insurance package (which they are required to accept anyone who applies for) and a range of additional insurance to cover elements of healthcare (such as physiotherapy or dental care) not covered by the standard package. Children under the age of 18 must have health insurance but do not pay premiums. In addition to a nominal premium of 180 L$ per month paid on the standard health insurance package all employed individuals pay an income-based contribution.
Access to healthcare in Lingala is achieved through a three-tier system, with the primary access point for non-emergency care being general practitioners, who can refer to hospitals and specialised facilities as required. Most hospitals are privately-run non-profit foundations. In general, there are three types of hospitals in Lingala: university hospitals, general hospitals, and clinical teaching hospitals. There are twelve academic hospitals, or university medical centres, each of which is directly connected with the medicine faculty of a major Lingalan university. These are the largest hospitals in the country, and they have the largest number and greatest variety of specialists and researchers working in them. They are able to provide the most complex and specialised treatment.
Many hospital organizations are members of the SKNL (Співпрацюючі клінічні навчальні лікарні), the collaborative association of clinical teaching hospitals. Although not directly tied to one particular university, these are large hospitals that house the full range of medical specialists that can offer both standard and complex care. The clinical teaching hospitals collaborate with university hospitals to aid in the education of nurses and medicine students, as well as to offer certain more specialised treatments. Interns frequently accompany doctors during procedures. Aside from training a lot of medical professionals, each clinical teaching hospital specializes in one or two specific disciplines, and conducts its own research to stay ahead in its particular field of expertise. The research done is particularly patient-centric, and focused on improving the practical application and achieving the best results for patients. The remaining general hospitals provide high standard healthcare for less specialised problems. They will, if necessary, refer patients to more specialised facilities.