Tumbra

Tumbra, officially the Federal Republic of Tumbra, is a federal democratic republic located in Esportiva. It is situated with Damukuni to its west, the Hinodejin Empire to its north and oceans to its south and east. It covers an area of about 547,795km2, with a population of over 114 million people in its 25 constituent states. Its capital is Straton, while its largest city and financial centre is in Couno; the largest urban area is the Northeast Conurbation, comprising the previous two cities along with the cities of Harren, Serrapince (which is also the second largest city in Tumbra), Timbourne and Killiney.

Tumbra is a major power with a strong economy; it is a global leader in science and technology, along with culture and media. Couno is in particular home to the Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation and the Couno Herald, two of the multiverse's biggest news providers in the broadcast and print media industries respectively. A major tourist destination, the Tumbran scenery also offers an alluring tourist destination.

Politically, Tumbra is a federal parliamentary republic; under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Tumbra, the President is the head of state, but their power is mostly nominal. The Prime Minister of Tumbra is the most powerful office in the country and the Federal Parliament the primary legislative body.

As a highly developed country, it offers social security and a comprehensive universal health care system programme, rich environmental protections, and free university education. Most of its cities are also home to comprehensively funded public transport systems, most of which are free at the point of use.

Geography
Tumbra is in Central Esportiva, bordering Damukuni to the west and the Hinodejin Empire to the north. To its east lies the Tumbran Sea, and further east lies the Apoxian Dependent Territory along with South Newlandia. Tumbran territory covers 547,795 km2, about 1.2% of which is water.

Eleveation ranges from the tallest peak in Tumbra is Mount Vernon, at 2,877m; the Turvenal Mountain Range in the west to the shores of the Tumbran Sea in the east and the ocean to the south. The lowlands of eastern Tumbra are traversed by major rivers such as the Bechor, Marcato and Dart rivers. The natural resources of Tumbra include coal, iron ore, timber, rice and wheat; with a significant vein of silver in the west of Tumbra.

Climate
Tumbra has a temperate climate, ranging from an oceanic (Cfb) climate in the east to a continental (Dfb) climate in the west. Winters range from cold in the south to milder in the north, and the country, with the exception of Westmond and Grantfeldt, does not see much snowfall. Summers generally see extreme weather, with the season recording the highest temperatures and the highest amounts of precipitation.

Federal
Tumbra is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic somewhat based on the Westminster system. The Constitution of Tumbra, promulgated in 1864, is the supreme law of Tumbra, establishing the structure and responsibility of the government, as well as the other organs of it. Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority in both houses, though failing that, if the amendment manages to get a simple majority in both Houses, the Government may advise the President to call a binding referendum on the matter. As of 2021, this power has not been used.

Federal legislative power is vested in the Federal Parliament, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, forming the lower and upper houses respectively. The House of Representatives is elected in direct elections using the instant-runoff voting system in 650 constituencies, and may be dissolved by the President on advice of the Prime Minister if the term of the House has reached four years, the House has voted to dissolve itself, or if the House cannot settle on a Prime Ministerial candidate after three ballots in the ensuing Prime Ministerial election.

The Senate is elected, meanwhile, every six years, through proportional representation by direct election. 200 Senators are elected on the same day as the first round of the Presidential election; each state sends between six and twelve Senators to the Senate, and each Senator represents the state at-large. The Senate functions much like the House, with the exception that they cannot raise bills regarding supply, appropriations or taxation. They, however, have the sole power to vet and approve political appointees, including gubernatorial candidates nominated by the President (widely seen as one of the few places in which the President has a free hand, and who also serve as representatives of the President in the state or free city that they are nominated to)

The President, currently Kelia Campbell, is head of state. They are elected by popular vote in a two-round election every six years. The first round is held concurrently with the Senate election, and a second round, held if no candidate garners a majority of the vote in the first round, is held two weeks later. They serve a single, non-renewable six-year term starting on 3 March of the year they were elected in. Most of their powers as outlined in the Constitution are primarily representative and reserve powers, which is the significant change from the original role of the President, in which they were originally envisioned to be taking on more power in a semi-presidential system.

The Vice President, currently James Broadbent, is elected on the same ticket as the President. They are the second highest official in the order of precedence, and are first in the order of succession. Mostly, however, they serve as the presiding officer of the Senate, as President of the Senate.

The head of government, currently Kenneth Everett, is the head of government and exercises executive power through their Cabinet. Since 1882 the party system has been dominated by the Labour and Liberal parties, who jointly have provided all but three of the Prime Ministers of Tumbra since 1864, and who currently hold the largest numbers of seats in the Federal Parliament. However, the smaller centrist Moderate Party, the environmentalist Green Party, the socially conservative Conservative Party and the socialist Social Democratic Party also are represented in Parliament; the six account for almost 98% of all votes cast in any given federal election, and independents on the federal level are rare, mostly relegated to local government authorities.

Administrative Divisions


Tumbra is sub-divided into 25 states, three of which are delineated as City-states. Each state has its own state Constitution, which largely mirror the structure of the federal Constitution, but are bound together in terms of their structure of their parliaments and the way the local government authorities are organised. As of 2021 the 22 non-city states are subdivided into 85 regions, for a total of 88 regions. The 85 regions are then further subdivided into 147 local government authorities, which are separated into rural or urban districts on the municipal level. The three city states are considered as states, regions and local government authorities all in one, giving rise to a unique situation where the three are the only local government authorities elected through single-member seats, because they are state assemblies. The other 147 local government authorities are all elected through proportional representation.

For the purposes of administering services on a larger scale, Tumbra is also separated into 5 different regions - North, East, Central, South and West Tumbra. Each comprises 5 states each. However, they serve no other purpose apart from that.



State Government
The 25 states' governments all mirror the structure of the Federal Government's, with one key exception - all 25 state Parliaments are unicameral instead of bicameral. This compromise was arrived at late in 1881, settling a dispute that had been ongoing since the inception of the Federal Republic in 1864; while certain states had already transitioned to a parliamentary system, most states still utilised a directly-elected Governor who wielded executive powers. The dispute, then, came down mostly to the separation of powers between the federal government and the level of taxation each state could levy.

The Compromise of 1881, negotiated by Prime Minister Walter Robinson, standardised the system of government such that it would mirror the style used by the Federal Government. In return, more legislative power would be devolved to the states to determine their own policy, especially with regards to tax. The Compromise lasted until 1911, when Prime Minister Nathaniel Webb broke by introducing a new tariff system to supersede all state taxes on imports and exports; the Federal Constitutional Court declared the tariff constitutional, and since then a lot of powers with regards to finance have returned to the federal government, but the structure of the state governments remain.

Each legislative branch of the 25 states has between 40 (Bencoolen) to 180 (Napier) seats, with each state representative on average representing about 38,000 constituents. This is a vast difference from the federal level, where a single federal MP represents on average 133,000 people. The head of government of each state is called the Premier, and is the typically the head of the largest party in the state Parliament; similarly to the Federal style of governance, they are elected by the State Parliament following a general election in each state. The current longest serving Premier is David Ross of Bechor; he was elected to the post of Premier in 2010.

The head of state in each State is called the Governor, and are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a six-year term; most Governors are retired diplomats or persons of such high renown in the State. Each Governor is also in line to succeed the President, should the line of succession reach that long; seniority is based on when the state ascended to the Federal Republic.

Local Government Authorities
For the 22 states, the state is separated into anywhere from two to seven regions, giving a total of 85 regions. Those, until 2000, were the sub-divisons used to administer local government. After the passage of the Local Government Reform Act 1999, regions were again subdivided into 147 Local Government Authorities, with two types - Metropolitan Districts and Rural Districts. Functionally, the two have the exact same function, with the only difference being the chief executive of said district. Metropolitan Districts have a mayor, while Rural Districts have a council leader.

Both metropolitan district councils and rural district councils are elected through open-list proportional representation, with one representative for every 10,000 voters. The usage of open-list proportional representation allows for a independent politicians to be elected by garnering enough votes to be elected, so long as the number of votes for said independent candidate crosses the threshold.

All councils are elected at the same time as state governments - whenever the state government is dissolved, the councils are dissolved as well, unless the state election happens within eighteen months of the last one. In that case, the councils are not dissolved and are granted a term extension until the end of the new state parliament's term. No such extension is allowed for a newly-elected state government should it dissolve within the next eighteen months, however, making the theoretical maximum length of a council's term five-and-a-half years, instead of the four years found in other forms of government. Should casual vacancies occur during the term of the Council, the next member on the party list will take the place of the departed member; should the departed member be an independent, or the party list run out of candidates, the seat will be left vacant until the next election. For this reason, most independents running for a place on local government authorities run in lists of two or three candidates. The threshold to be elected is also the same as the number of total votes divided by the number of seats; therefore, about 10,000 votes are needed to be elected as an independent. As of 2020, there are 8197 councilors in Tumbra.

Metropolitan Districts have a directly-elected mayor, and operate more like a presidential system. Mayors are elected every four years alongside the district council. Mayors may be subject to recall votes, if more than 12% of the registered voters submit signatures for a petition, to the council within 160 days of the petition being filed, then the post of mayor is considered recalled, and a supplementary election for the post to fill the rest of the mayor's term will be held within 90 days. As of the time of writing, no directly elected mayor has ever been recalled. There are no term limits on the post of mayor, but most step down after two terms.

Rural Districts select a council leader from within its body, operating much like a parliamentary system, and are subject to the same procedures used to elect the Prime Minister and Premiers of State Governments, as enumerated in the Constitution. Both lead a small executive, named a Cabinet, to assist them in the day-to-day running of the region. Despite the difference in the method of election, however, both mayors and council leaders have about the same amount of powers, with the Mayor being given a bit more flexibility to appoint their Cabinet, being able to appoint people outside the Council to their Cabinet. However, mayoral cabinet appointees are subject to approval by the Council, while Council Leaders, while restricted to appointing Council members to their Cabinet, are not subject to the same approval vote.

Most councillors serve part-time, and are renumerated considerably less than state officials, who are constitutionally bound to be full-time legislators.

Law
The Tumbran judicial system is based on common law. The highest federal court is the Federal Constitutional Court, which is responsible for constitutional matters, with the power of judicial review. It also serves as the final court of appeal, and exercises both original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction, and serves as the trial court for any impeached official. Nine judges serve on the Federal Constitutional Court, and one amongst them is the Chief Justice - this role is currently filled by Anthony Brennan.

Beneath it, the Supreme Court of Tumbra hears all cases regarding criminal, civil, finance, administrative and labour matters. The Federal Family Court, which hears cases on family law, was established in 1989. Criminal law is codified in the Tumbran Penal Code, while civil law is codified in the Civil Code. All judges must retire at the age of 75.

Law enforcement is chiefly the purview of the states, but in recent years police code has become more and more standardised across the 25 states. A Federal Police Force also exists, and is subordinate to the Ministry of Law and Justice, and chiefly investigates cases of international organized crime, terrorism and other cases related to national security; counterterrorism; the protection of members of the constitutional institutions, and of federal witnesses. Certain large scale cases also fall under its purview upon direction by the Federal Minister for Law and Justice.

Foreign relations
Tumbra is a peace-oriented country, with the country explicitly prohibited from declaring war unless acting "in defence of the interests of the State and its allies". It maintains diplomatic relations with most countries in Esportiva, Atlantean Oceania and Rushmore, and with other countries on a case-by-case basis. Tumbra is also a generous giver of foreign aid, being formulated by the Ministry of International Development, and is a keen helper of developing economies. While Tumbra is not a member of any international organisation, it always seeks out avenues for co-operation with other countries wherever possible.

Military
Tumbra's military, the Tumbran Armed Forces, is organised in three branches - the Army, Navy and the Air Force. In 2020, military spending was about $55 billion, or about 1.5% of GDP. Women may serve in any of the branches of the armed forces without any restriction. While the military is supposed to remain strictly neutral, only defending the interests of Tumbra, a 1988 ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the interests of Tumbra are broad enough to support peacekeeping ventures outside of the borders of Tumbra, as well as crisis reaction and prevention.

The TDF in total has about 255,000 active personnel, with about 117,000 civilians. In 2020, military spending was about 2% of the country's GDP.

Economy
Tumbra is a social market economy with a highly skilled labour force, a low level of corruption and a global centre of innovation. The service sector of Tumbra contributes approximately 62% of GDP, with manufacturing contributing about 30% and agriculture contributing the remaining 8%. The unemployment rate is approximately 2.2%, which is one of the lowest in the multiverse.

The Tumbran Stock Exchange, headquartered in Couno, is home to the 30 largest publicly-floated companies, including Mittels (an alchohol company), Rochester, and Tumbra Telecom.

Transportation
Owing to its central location in Esportiva, Tumbra is a transportation hub for Esportiva. Much of its transport is carried out through rail, but a substantial road network exists across the country as well. The country's expressways - in particular the M1, which stretches from Harren in the north-east to Shepperton in the south-west, then continues into Damukuni - are some of the main arterial roads in Tumbra, and contribute heavily to goods flow in the country.

Road and automotive transport
Tumbra's motorway network - the Federal Expressway Network - was largely built in the 1950s by the federal government. Over the years, major works have made it such that all major cities are linked to at least one federal expressway. The busiest expressways are the abovementioned M1, which runs from Harren to Shepperton; other major expressways include the M2, which runs from Couno to Franport; and the M3, which runs from Lakewood in Severn, in the country's south-east, to Colbrook, in Grantfeldt.

Despite the large number of highways in Tumbra, the federal government has indicated that it will not be expanding the expressway network in the future, instead focusing on expanding the railway network and smaller roadways in Tumbra.

Rail transport
TumbraRail is the state-owned railway transportation company, and operates most commuter rail services in the country. It operates the Tumbran Intercity network on dedicated rails, with speeds reaching up to 300kmh (190mph). All major cities are linked by the Intercity network, and more minor cities are expected to be linked via future expansions to the network.

In major cities, most public transport networks are owned by the city but heavily subsidised by the federal government. Encouraging the use of public transportation was a key plank of the Haywood government's (1963-1979) plan for urban regeneration, and most major cities have metro systems, some of which are automated. The most recent metro system to open was the Southport Metro, in 2017. Certain cities also utilise light rail systems and trams in certain districts; all public transport is free at the point of use, again to encourage its use.

Air transport
Tumbra's two largest airlines are Tumbran Airlines and Republic Air, the former of which was privatised in 1983. Tumbran Airlines also operates regional flights under the name Tumbra Airlines Regional brand. Both Tumbran Airlines and Republic Air operate a large network of flights; the main difference is that Tumbran Airlines' hub airport is Couno International, while Republic Air is based out of Serrapince International Airport. Both, however, share Straton International as a joint hub.

Couno International is Tumbra's biggest airport and is one of the busiest in the region; most international flights fly there. Apart from that, the abovementioned Straton International and Serrapince International also serve long-haul flights; for destinations further west and south, other international airports include those in Washington, Nantwich, Lakewood, Hesham, Bencoolen and Kingsbury.

Water transport
Tumbra has several ports which handle a large volume of frieght; the chief port for the north-eastern part of Tumbra is located in Harren, while those for the south-east, south coast and north coast are located in Hesham, Columbia, and Ridgewell respectively. The Port of Marray, an infrastructure project that is set to double the capacity of the Port of Harren, is due to open in 2025, and was chosen due to its location in the natural harbour in Tumbra Bay.

Cruise terminals mostly exist in all coastal cities; however, the main city for passenger cruise transport is Marray, contributing to its reputation as a tourist hub.

Healthcare System
The Tumbran Health Service, Tumbra's universal healthcare system, dates back to 1966, when it was introduced federally, though several Labour governments, including that of Colin Barduke in Severn and Ruth Attwell in Napier, had introduced rudimentary universal healthcare systems in their own states when they served as Premier. Barduke would later serve in then-Prime Minister Malcolm Haywood's government, and would be a major influence on his decision to roll out the THS federally. While controversial when first introduced, being subject to numerous lawsuits, the THS eventually proved to be a major boon in the country's handling of the smallpox outbreak that would spread across the country just a few months later, and today is a source of national pride for many Tumbrans. While a majority of Tumbrans are covered under the THS, people are also allowed to opt for private insurance. About 83% of Tumbra's healthcare is government-funded while 17% is privately funded; in 2020, the government spent about 15% of its budget on healthcare.

Tumbra's life expectancy is about 79 years for males and 84 years for females, and has a very low infant mortality rate, at about 3 per 1000 live births. The principle cause of death is heart disease.

Social welfare in Tumbra on the federal level is the shared domain of the Ministry of Health, which has primary responsibility over the National Endowment, and the Ministry of Labour, which has primary responsibility for the National Insurance. Further schemes, like state housing, are under the auspices of the state governments, and co-ordinated by the Ministry of Urban Development. States are also given the right to form their own social security schemes, and as of 2020 all twenty-five states have some form of childcare assistance and food stamp programs for the less well-off. Additionally, a minimum wage is present in Tumbra and has often been revised to account for inflation, with the current minimum wage being 10 dollars per hour.

National Endowment
The National Endowment is the primary state pension and social security scheme in Tumbra, and was inaugurated in 1947. Over the years, the responsibility for the National Endowment has changed ministries, but since 1984 it has been under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, later shortened to the Ministry of Health. Plans have been made to move its responsibility to the Ministry of Labour; but as of 2020 no government has made such a plan.

The National Endowment provides retirement savings for all Tumbran citizens; payments are made both by the employer and the employee into a single, shared account out of their monthly paycheck; the current rate for both employers and employees is 10%. Employees are allowed to voluntarily contribute more to their account. This sum is supplemented by the state every year to hit a minimum recommended sum; those whose contributions go over this minimum recommended sum do not receive any extra money from the government. This sum is revised every seven years to account for inflation, and a further round of top-ups are done afterwards to account for this.

Once the employee hits the retirement age (currently 64), they receive a portion of the money in their account every month. The payments are ratioed such that people can start receiving their payments the month they turn 64 and continue until they reach the age of 79; thereafter all payouts are provided by the government. Every person is entitled to at least 750 dollars a month; should the money in their account run out before they reach 79, the government will continue to provide the 750 dollars per month. After the age of 79, everyone is paid 900 dollars a month. Those with more than the minimum sum in their account are able to choose how much extra they can withdraw per month; should there be any money left after they reach the age of 79, then the amount is paid on top of the 900 dollars that they receive per month.

Should the account-holder pass away prematurely, all the money in the account will be paid out to the account-holder's stated beneficiaries, with the money split equally between those nominated by the account-holder if there are multiple. Should the account-holder have no beneficiaries stated, the money will be paid out to the family members of the deceased equally. Should there be no surviving family members left, the money is returned to the State.

Participation in the National Endowment does not preclude people from partaking in other similar schemes, and many people do so to ensure a more comfortable retirement.

National Insurance
The National Insurance is the primary unemployment insurance scheme. Inaugurated in 1933 following the beginning of the Great Depression, the National Insurance provides unemployment benefits to those who have been unemployed for up to 24 months from the date of the end of their current employment. These payments are funded by the government through taxation.

The payments for the first 12 months begin at 80% of the last received income; it drops to 70% from the 13th through 16th month, 65% through the 18th month and 60% through the 24th month.

Further allowances are available, particularly for the disabled, amongst others.

Media
Mass media in Tumbra is one of the biggest industries in Tumbra, and primarily comes in the forms of television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites. With a diverse range of providers, most notably the publicly-owned Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation (TBC). It mostly faces competitors on the free-to-air networks from other independent broadcasters. Cable television is also available and has several companies jostling for market influence. Radio tends to be more regionally focused, with the TBC holding an extremely large market share. Smaller radio stations, however, do exist.

Newspapers, too, tend to be more regionally focused, though broadsheets with national circulation do exist; the most prominent is The Couno Herald, which is also considered to be the newspaper of record. Media conglomerates tend to consolidate newspapers throughout the country to reach a national audience.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority regulates, amongst other things, the media landscape in Tumbra. Censorship is prohibited by the Constitution, guaranteeing a free press, but there has been a growing movement to add a sub-clause to clause 30 of the Constitution (which guarantees said free press) to prohibit false or misleading media, in lieu of the rise of fake news.

Television
The television industry can be separated into two parts; free-to-air and cable. There are eight free-to-air channels that broadcast nationwide; TBC One, TBC Two, TBC Three (stylised as "tbc 3"), Channel Four, Channel Five (both independent channels), the Special Broadcasting Service, the Independent Television Network (ITN) and TBC Parliament (which mostly covers the activities of the Federal Parliament.) By regulation, all free-to-air television must be neutral, but the BSA often receives complaints of perceived bias.

Most television networks are headquartered in Straton or Couno; the sole exception is Channel Five, which is headquartered in Serrapince. Regional television networks are often split into five regions; north (comprising Westmond, Finnley and Gamaliel), west (comprising Iswilyn, Hamilton, Thornton and Bencoolen), central (comprising Alexandria, Georgia and Raleigh), south (comprising Dartmoor, Severn and Clearmont) and east (Marcato, Napier, Bechor and Straton).

Regional television market share is mostly split between TBC and the ITN, with both broadcasters supplying programmes, especially local news, to the states. TBC separates its channels by the above five regions while the ITN has thirteen channels servicing the eighteen provinces.

Cable television is much less regulated, and by extension much more controversial. Several networks exist, the most prominent being sun plc, with Sun News holding a plurality of market share. The network, however, also offers movies, sports and other programming. Sun News has come under fire for its supposedly right-leaning stance, but the BSA so far has found no broken rules.

Other significant news channels exist, the most prominent being the Tumbran News Network, or TNN; similarly to Sun News, it has faced allegations of bias; the only difference is that it is often considered to be left-leaning, and the National Broadcasting Network (NBN), which is similarly leftward-leaning.

Newspapers
The newspaper industry is highly decentralised, but in general newspapers with national circulation are separated into two types; broadsheets and tabloids. Most newspapers are headquartered in the city of their namesake; Tumbra Today and the Independent are headquartered in Straton, while the Financial Times is headquartered in Serrapince.

Broadsheets include The Couno Herald, The New Napier Times, the Hesham Enquirer, the Serrapince Post, Tumbra Today, the Carter City Tribune and the Independent. The Financial Times focuses more on financial and economic affairs. Newspapers are generally allowed freer reign over their content and political leanings; while the Couno Herald does not officially endorse parties or candidates, the other big six generally do.

Smaller papers include The Guardian, The Spectator, The Denhelm Post, and the Delano Journal.

Left-leaning: The New Napier Times, the Serrapince Post, Tumbra Today. the Guardian, the Spectator Right-leaning: Hesham Enquirer, Carter City Tribune, The Spectator, Delano Journal, The Financial Times Centre-leaning: the Independent, The Denhelm Post

Tabloids can be distinguished by their smaller page size and red logos. Tabloids with national circulation include The Mirror and The Mail.

Radio
National and regional radio are dominated by the TBC; they run five major radio networks:

TBC Radio One, playing mostly current pop music output on FM and digital radio, with live music throughout the year; TBC Radio Two, which plays pop and rock, as well as hosting talk shows and special interest programmes; TBC Radio Three, which mostly transmits classical music; TBC Radio Four, which transmits current affairs programmes, talk shows and radio drama; TBC Radio Five, which serves as radio commentary on sports events.

Regional radio typically plays older music alongside news and is aimed at an older audience; it utilises the five-region system.

Telecommunications
Tumbra has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world; at 99.2%, almost everybody has access to an internet-capable device. The major telecommunications providers in Tumbra are Tumbra Telecom (TMT), Jennings, Wrigham & Young (JWY), Horizon and CritikalCast. All five offer 5G services and residential service plans of speeds up to 5 Gbit/s.