Averra

Averra, officially The Federation of Averra (Averran: D'Federatioun vun Avechten) is a federal parliamentary republic located in eastern Avanor. The nation is a union of eleven Federal Regions which all joined at various points throughout the nation's history, some for defense and military reasons, others to expand financially, others were conquered through warfare of the other states. The nation is bordered to the north by the Midlands, to the east by Morodavia and Slovecia, to the south by Nalore, and to the west by Augustine and Caliane. The nation has a population of 11,340,296 as of the latest government census, and a land area of 224,088 km² (86,521 sq mi). The federal capital is the city of Alscheid, though other major cities include Noertlange, Knief, and Esch an de Maas.

Throughout its history, Averra maintained high levels of isolation. With the Auane Mountains isolating the country from the world throughout its early history, the country largely evolved into several communities usually paying homage to a particular city or town in exchange for protection. In the middle ages, when the Midlandic emperor Otto III invaded Averra in an attempt to unify it with the Midlands in 1245, the cities of Esch an de Maas, Kneif, Noertlange, and Alscheid banded together to form the Pact of Four, and drove the Midlands out of the country, forming the First Confederation, adopting the cross, with each arm an equal length to show equality in the state. Over the centuries more and more regions joined, either for economic reasons or through conquest, until in 1790 when the War of the Two Cities broke out between the factions of Liberals and Conservatives in the country, calling for reforms to the government. The Liberals won the war in 1795, and the Averran Federation, a stronger federal union with a constitutional government, was born. Throughout the 1800s the country experienced struggles between workers and the economically liberal government, culminating in the rise of the Labour movement and Labour Party, who gained popularity during the General Strike of 1831. The nation largely reconciled after the introduction of labour laws and proportional parliamentary democracy in 1856. The country remained neutral in the Great War, and afterwards hosted the signing of the Alscheid Accords to end the war, solidifying the nation's position as a hub for international diplomacy, with the Union of Nations being founded in its capital. In the post war era, Averra has remained a bastion of economic growth and prosperity, joining the Union of Nations to promote world peace, and later the Avanor Union to promote economic growth.

Averra is a highly developed and economically prosperous nation located in central Avanor. It has a highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy that relies heavily on the manufacturing of high quality precision tools, medical equipment, and mining. Additionally, the country boasts a large world class financial service sector, and maintains an extremely high living standard that often ranks above that of its neighbours. Averra's government is extremely stable, with little to no levels of corruption within it, leading to a reputation as a trustworthy business location within the Avanor Union, which Averra joined in 1908. Despite this, Averra remains neutral militarily, refusing to join the Avanoran Defense Organization, as well as refusing to take part in Union of Nations peacekeeping missions, despite being a member since 1910. The nation boasts a strong welfare state boosted by higher than average tax rates, as well as low levels of unemployment, and poverty. Averra ranks amongst the happiest countries on Alcris, and a high quality of life.

Prehistory
According to archeological evidence, the first humans arrived in Averra, likely in the Eisenthal Region, sometime in the 12,000s BCE. In earlier times, it was believed that Averra was originally home to a Thanic tribe, likely speaking a dialect of Low Thanic which evolved into the Averran language, though today it is clear that the region was not only home to Thanes, but also Auene peoples - especially in the southwestern regions of the country. As the Imperium unified to the south in Augustine, the Auene people of Averra began to organize into small towns, farms, and cities, while the Thanic tribes to the north continued to live in a tribal like society, both farming and raising cattle and dairy products in the valleys of the Allune Mountains. The isolation of the region led to a general feeling of independence from the rest of the world, and attempted imperial subjugation of the region was repeatedly repelled in multiple wars ranging from the 1600s BCE to the 1500s BCE.

Low Middle Ages
Averra in the low middle ages was a land of competing cities, former imperial villas, and farms. Former imperial garrisons in the region had been wiped out due to the incoming Thanic invasions

Health
The current healthcare system in Averra is universal, and is regulated by the Averran Federal Medical and Health Law. The Federal government operates a single payer system, which was founded during the period of industrialization in 1855, making it the oldest single payer healthcare system on the planet. It is a compulsory social insurance plan that centralizes the disbursement of healthcare funds. The system promises equal access to healthcare for all citizens, and attempts to establish equal standards for health across all federal regions. The system, sometimes referred to as the AGS, is funded through multiple means of general taxation, the with the main sources of funding coming from an income tax on high income earners, a 2% tax on stock and bond trades, as well as a higher tax on international corporations. Additional revenues come from the nation's income tax and other government revenues. The system is managed federally, with funding being handled through the Federal Office of Health.

The AGS covers primary and preventive care, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services, and vision care with no cost at time of use for patients. The law further requires hospitals and medical institutions, such as facilities who perform elective procedures, as well as specialist care facilities and ambulance services, to operate as non-profits, with their prices set by the federal government.

Patients are free to choose from any physicians and primary care practitioners within the entire country, without extra costs. Private health plans do exist, though these private plans are prohibited from offering the same services as covered within the Averran Federal Health System. Typically, private plans offer services and extra benefits to medical services, such as cheaper cosmetic procedures, as well as coverage in overseas health systems.

Healthcare quality in Averra is ranked by the World Organization for Development as some of the highest in the world, with the Averran Health System being ranked as number 2 in the world in quality, just behind Wintermoore. Averrans have the world's second longest lift expectancy, with a total of 87.9 years for women and 87.1 years for men. Averrans, while largely considered healthy when compared to international metrics, still suffer from chronic diseases such as Cancer and Heart Disease, with Health Disease being the leading cause of death in the country.

Government and Politics
The Averran Federation is a federal directorial constitutional federation of 9 federal regions, which are governed under the provisions of the Constitution of the Averran Federation, which governed under the, which was established in its current form in 1893. The constitution divides the federal government into three separate branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. Additionally, the constitution spells out specific roles of the federal government and the regions, instituting a system of federalism in the nation. The legislative branch is comprised of the unicameral the unicameral Federal Assembly. According to the constitution, the Assembly has the duties of appointing the members of the Executive Council in a majority vote; providing guidance and oversight of the executive; approving the federal budget and overseeing federal finances; declaring war and states of emergency; administering the legislative process; and approving government policies on issues of national importance. The Federal Assembly is also tasked with passing amendments to the constitution. The Constitutional Court is the head of the judicial branch, and is the highest court in the country - responsible for reviewing the actions of the executive and legislative branches to ensure they are constitutional, as well as reviewing the decisions of the nation's lower courts. The Constitutional Court is not entitled to make law, but may only review actions by other bodies in line with the court's definition of the constitution. If a law is deemed unconstitutional, it is sent back to the Federal Assembly to be rewritten to fit the provisions of the constitution as seen by the court. If a lower court decision, by contrast, is deemed unconstitutional, the decision is overturned and rendered void. The executive branch of Averra is unique in that it is a collegiate body of seven members, who collaborate on policy together to steer executive decisions of the nation. The council is chaired by the Federal Councilor, who is the first among equals on the council, and is in charge of foreign affairs, and represents the council to the public and abroad. The executive encompasses six other councilors, each heading a separate federal department, which under it manages several government ministries. On top of administrating their various ministries and offices, federal councilors meet once a week, where they either give assent or veto laws passed by the Federal Assembly, or otherwise draft legislative proposals and propose them directly to the Assembly. All decisions by the Federal Council of this nature must be unanimous, and all meetings of the council are confidential, unless ordered to be made public via a parliamentary inquiry. Votes in the Federal Council are conducted via secret ballot, with only the Federal Councilor's vote being made public. The council meets and works from the Képplersëtz, a country estate located outside the federal capital of Alscheid, though it is common for assembly members to also work at offices dedicated to the council members in the Federal Assembly building. Averra last held federal elections in 1918, when the electorate returned a parliament with a centrist majority, led by the "The Centre". Their leader, Luc Kesseler, was elected to the position of Federal Councilor that year for his first term, and led a minority government, with the Movement for Progress and Greens providing confidence and supply to his government. The Kessler Government focused on environmental protections, protecting the lower pension age from right wing attempts at reform, and passing a higher wealth tax to help pay for the government's increased spending during the 1917 Economic Crisis.

The government has come under criticism for their refusal to expand the construction of residential housing into the greenbelt to accommodate the lack of supply of houses which has caused the housing costs of the country to skyrocket in recent years, and has further come under criticism for their continued selling of weapons to the governments of war-torn countries such as Kraaka and Ishune.

According to the federal constitution, the Federal Assembly is elected every three years through means of proportional representation. Federal electoral law requires a party to achieve an election result of 1.5% to gain seats in the assembly. After their election, the Assembly most gather in a majority vote to select the Executive Council and Federal Councilor a council of 11 members who administer the executive departments of government. The supreme court is chaired by justices who are appointed by an independent committee for terms of ten years, and approved by a majority vote of the Assembly.