The Beautiful Empire of Orioni

Orioni · February 18, 2005

[Writing my nation's history, that's proving to be quite the challenge for a history student like myself.]

The people of Orioni have inhabited their lands for as long as anyone can remember. The first settlers come from the east, following the setting sun over the central European peninsula. They kept close to the southern seaboard to make sure no-one got lost in the thick forests. When the pioneers surpassed the mountain range we call the 'Mountains of Rain' [see image #1], they discovered the fertile 'Valley of Dionysos' [#1]. This valley is blessed with enough rain, which is caught in the sickle-like mountain range surrounding it in the north, making the lands fertile. The people quickly realized this would make an excellent home. Even today, this region is known for its fruit, and -most important- for its excellent wines.

The southern settlement occurred about 5000 years ago. Thanks to archaeological findings, our scientists have been able to make a good reconstruction of what life must have been like. On the political level, most historians agree that the government at that time was one of cooperation between villages; no actual capital has been found. Yet. It is believed that a great harbour-city may still lay hidden in the bay off the southern shores near the 'Valley of Dionysos'.

Life continued like this for millennia, until around 3000 years ago the first Empire emerged. This is the time of many legends, clouding the true story of what happened. There once was a great tribeswoman who, using cunning diplomacy, united the entire south. The title of empress was passed on in matriarchal line, from mother to daughter. This line has not once been broken, although there were have been some dangerous moments. [OOC: You can it with the Japanese history, but then matriarchal and with an active role for the imperial family.] The most imported archaeological finding from this period is the ancient ruin of the first palace [#2] on mount Orioni [#1], situated west of Zuidhaven. Besides the being the symbol of the Empire, the place also has an important ideological function.

Many see this period as the Golden Age of exploration, marked by the first excursions into the mainland. From the southern deltas, brave men and women followed the course of the great Orionoco upstream, into the forests to the north.

[I will add more information later]

...#1.........#2......

Orioni · November 7, 2005

Official Name: The Beautiful Empire of Orioni 2

Capital City: Orionopolis

Government type: Imperial Democracy

Executive Branches: Imperial Council (12)

Legislative Branches: Parliament with representatives from all territories. 1 member for every 1 million inhabitants. (3500, nov. 2005 estimate)

Federalist or Unitary: Unitary (OOC: federative model is under construction)

Provinces/Territories (if applicable): 5 oversea territories (Andro, Medan Corona Borealis, Sirius, Pontus)

Formal Head of State: Empress Orioni

Political Head of State: dr. Chandra Pristo, head of the Imperial Council

Official Language: English

Official Religion: -

Population: 3,5 billion (nov. 2005 estimate)

Major Minorities: -

Separation of Powers: -

Orioni · May 12, 2006

Pronunciation of the nation's name

ORIONI

simple: o?ri?o?ni

English: oh r? oh n?

IPA: /ɒɹiːɒniː/

It doesn't sound like "Orion" does in English, the "i" is pronounced like and "e".

Orioni · June 9, 2006

Empire State University (ESU)

Location: Orionopolis

Specialty: (almost everything)

Sirius Business School (SBS)

Location: Sirius

Specialty: Business, Economic sciences

Sirius Business School, also known as SBS, is one of the world's leading management schools. The school is officially named the Sirius University Graduate School of Business Administration. The school offers a full-time MBA program, a Doctoral program and several executive education programs. Current MBA classes have a size of approximately 1.000 students, divided into twenty sections (A-T). Each section takes classes together the first year, with the intention of forming deep social bonds. Graduation rates are approximately 99.5%. Teaching is almost exclusively (95%) done through case teaching (also referred to as the Socratic method), where the students prepare teaching cases and discuss them in class. The School owns Sirius Business School Publishing, which publishes business books, teaching cases and the monthly Sirius Business Review. In addition to Master's and Doctoral degrees, Sirius Business School offers a non-degree executive program called the Advanced Management Program which confers alumni status to all participants.

Zuidhaven Institute of Technology (ZIT)

Location: Zuidhaven

Specialty: Technology, research, development

Orioni · July 18, 2006

Political map of Orioni

This map shows the four regions of the empire. They are separated by a red border. The yellow border shows the area of the "Wildlife Refuge III" I'm planning to found (yet again).

Geographic map of Orioni

Blue describes the rivers and waters, green is used for naming things like mountain ranges and plains.

Economic map of Orioni

A star shows the location of O'polis (short for Orionopolis), our capital city. Regular cities are represented by a circle, while military installations are designated shown as a square. All of these are interconnected by roads, shown in grey.

Orioni · February 17, 2014

The Empire is divided in four regions, each with their own customs and history. Most cities from the First Empire cary the classical suffix -polis (/?p?l?s/; plural poleis (/?p?le?z/, [póle?s]), which literally means city. Most of these poleis were organised as monarchy and mainly focussed on trade. Certain cities specialised in one particular typo of commodity. Some Orinese colonies did experiment with other forms of government, like the oligarch republic of Volantis.

http://orioni.europa.googlepages.com/OrioniMap_POL.jpg

Western Region

Western Orioni has always followed a more continental approach due to its close proximity to the European mainland across the Tethys Sea. It is agriculturally important thanks to the fertile land of the Great Eastern and Western Plains.

Central Region

Central Orioni forms the core of this nations, with its ancient monuments and old traditions. It is the geographic location of the first tribes that joined together before politically uniting the entire island.

Northern Region

Northern Orioni is the most mountainous region. Rich in minerals, its mining enterprises provide the majority of resources of industrial activity. Accessibility is enhanced thanks to the many rivers and coastal roads.

Eastern Region

Eastern Orioni is geographically similar to the central region, but it is less populous due to the more arid climate. The rough inland geography encourages a more seaward attitude.