Magonia

Magonia, also known as the Magnus Empire (although rarely) is a sovereign country that is located in UnitedTerra. It has a population of approximately 21 million, which reside in cities such as Dufton, Riffleton and New Riffleton. The country’s government is based in the administrative capital of New Riffleton, while the official capital is in Riffleton. The official languages are English and Magnus, although Mandarin, Russian, French and German are also commonly spoken.

An economic power on the Antarctic stage, Magonia has one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated economies in the world. Most notably, it is known for its manufacturing sector, with significant contributions from the electronics, high technology and arms-manufacturing industries. As a result, the country produces most of the UTR's military weaponry, which are bought at high prices, as well as a significant portion of semiconductors, consumer electronics and home appliances traded globally. The nation is also home to a number of Nexonan and Zescorean immigrants after Margatian and Munian leaders signed a treaty with Emperor Kalieth the Great, promising dual citizenship for the Nexonan and Zescorean diaspora living in Magonia (a Zescorean, for example, gets to be both a Munian and Magnus citizen) in exchange for direct investments and technological exchange. In recent years, the country has also attracted immigrants from traditionally Puffish countries such as Puffle'and, Calada and Austiceia, as well as immigrants from the USA, Azukri, South Joseon and Polaris. As a result of that and international influence, the country’s culture is rather cosmopolitan and diverse, almost comparable by many to be a “non-Puffish version of Calada or Austiceia”.

Magonia is involved in the Zeta Connections, an alliance between Culldrome Isles, Magonia, Margate, Munijoch and UnitedTerra, along with The M Triumvirate, an alliance between Margate, Magonia and Munijoch to improve Magonia's stance on international politics. Except for Duck Island, the country maintains friendly diplomatic and trade relations with almost every nation, typically taking a neutral stance unless its alliances are involved. The Magonian passport is known for being “powerful” as it is among the countries that has visa-free access to the most countries in Antarctica. Since 2018, the country is an elective monarchy that is currently ruled by Emperor Slender, who is widely considered to be the “father of development and modernisation”.

Pre-Magnus
Prior to the the 1865 Rise of Magnus, the people of the present-day country of Magonia lived amongst territories divided between warring kingdoms. Such kingdoms were ruled by mighty emperors revered as practical deities by their citizens. The kingdoms' territories were in constant turmoil for control of the present-day Magonian Imperial Gardens, a strategic location for the emperor to rule from the safety of a fortified palace. In addition, the center of the gardens houses the Fountain of Magnio the Great, one of the few emperors to successfully unify the country under his banner. Each emperor hoped to one day replace the bust of Magnio with their own, but all who tried failed to do so. As a result, the gardens were in constant turmoil and warfare for hundreds of years.

The people who lived under the emperors' reigns were often in fear, and looked to the stars in hopes that an astral message would appear. Shooting stars were interpreted as a cosmic war against their emperors and the hero that would eventually unite them, liberating them from captivity. As a result, the denizens of the kingdoms gained great astrological knowledge, able to calculate their location simply by looking at the stars.

Entrance of a New Hope
In 1856, an Emperor by the name of Juxiao took the throne in the Kingdom of Magnus, named after Magnio the Great, who reigned from the kingdom. Juxiao began to immediately expand the military, with the goal of not capturing the elusive palace, but to instead conquer the two neighboring kingdoms of Kalim and Estu. Following a successful campaign, he then set his sites on the palace, now with a stronger military force to defend against the other kingdoms. From the palace, he conquered two other kingdoms, convinced one to join, and soon had his sight set on the final enemy: Fel'Shanar, the largest kingdom besides Juxiao's. If he succeeded in conquering him, he would be the sole ruler of a kingdom that was 5 years in the making.

The Rise of Magnus
In 1861, Juxiao began his offensive strike on the kingdom of Fel'Shanar. While Magnus was larger than Fel'Shanar, their mountainous defenses were touted as one of the toughest to crack in all of the kingdoms. In a 3 year period, Magnus slowly gained territory of Fel'Shanar, pushing them to their plains and taking razing villages to prevent ambushes from behind. While the main forces were pushing towards the city from the North, more forces began to pour in from the South, crossing over and heading North to take the city as well. In December of 1864, Juxiao finally forced Fel'Shanar to surrender, reuniting Magonia for the first time in over three hundred years. To commemorate such an occasion, Juxiao formally called a meeting at the Imperial Gardens, where he declared himself Emperor Magnus-Juxiao the Great of Magonia, and formally declared Magonia as a Kingdom, also to be called the Magnus Empire.

Post-Magnus
Twenty years later, Magnus-Juxiao died of natural causes, and the kingdom was handed down from generation to generation, eventually leading up to Kalieth the Great of Magonia, who refused to take the Magnus mantle of honor out of contempt for the past. Around this time, refugees from the First Munijoch Civil War and the Newdeal Civil War began to arrive in droves to the kingdom, who were primarily Zescorean and Nexonan in origin. They happily submitted to the command of the King, who was sympathetic towards them for being exiled from their home country. To ensure that they are welcomed, he granted them citizenship for Magonia and established enclaves for them to build and make to their desire.

Following the conclusion of their respected wars, Munijoch and Margate contacted Magonia in an effort to discover what became of their citizens, following paper trails and ships logs that pointed straight to Magonia. When Magonia told of the enclaves, Munijoch and Margate realised the opportunity to establish relations. They convinced the emperor to form a constitutional monarchy and allow the refugees to hold dual citizenship. In return, the two promised to establish arms manufacturing plants there, which soon expanded to the construction of other types of manufacturing plants. The emperor happily agreed to this, and a partnership formed. A parliamentary election was then held, with Slender elected to the post of Chancellor.

Under his tenure as Chancellor, Slender begins to build an eco-social market economy model, which aims to balance free market economics, the strive for social fairness and the sustainable use and protection of the natural resources. To achieve this, a combination of fiscal, economic, monetary and social policies are implemented in order to establish fair competition in the market and to establish a welfare state for Magonians who lack equal opportunity and those who are unable to enter the labour force. The new system, widely considered to be a “third way between unregulated capitalism and Marxist-Leninism, is successful in promoting strong economic growth, low inflation, a balanced government budget and equal opportunity at the same time.

Rise of Slender
In 2018, Slender was elected as the next Emperor of Magonia when the heirless Emperor Kalieth passed away due to old age. Upon his ascension, Slender changed the nation into an elective monarchy, with the people electing an Emperor who serves for life. Together with Chancellor Marcus Kang, the new Emperor launches several ambitious projects in order to make Magonia more economically prosperous and scientifically advanced. The ultimate goal is to reduce the nation’s dependence on both Margate and Munijoch, and to increase economic activity with other countries. The country also formed close links with the resource-rich Azukri due to the marriage of the Azukrian Empress Katherine Chandos and Slender. The Sublime State supplied vast amounts of raw materials and primary sector goods to Magonia in exchange for Magonia’s aid in developing Azukri’s manufacturing sector. The partnership proved to be beneficial to both parties, as it acted as the foundation for their ascension to the status of Antarctic powers in future decades.

Near Future
The 2020’s proved to be a time of technological innovation for the country as it steadily developed its own technologies and reduced its reliance on importing them from other countries. It is around this time that programmes implemented in 2018 began to show results. Students’ performances in STEM subjects increased significantly, which created a workforce that is proficient in scientific methods and high-level technology. The country’s manufacturing sector has become primarily AI-driven by now, while it was necessary for firms to adopt digitisation in order to survive in the local market. The adoption of cutting-edge technology in the manufacturing sector allows Magonia, which has a relatively smaller population than countries like Zhou and the USA, to manufacture cheaper and better products year-by-year that are competitive in the international markets. The Magonians also ventured into the field of space exploration as it launched spaceflights and produced its own spacecrafts, albeit they are rudimentary compared to those of the EIAC, Munijoch Galactic Association and RDA. At the time, Magonian spacecrafts were primarily intended as civilian carriers and freighters, unlike its foreign counterparts.

The Shops Civil War had some pronounced effects on the country and its economy, but the government imposed a series of economic measures that soon led to the economy’s recovery. Furthermore, the destruction of Shops Island and the international ostracism of Snowzerland provided some golden opportunities for the country. It filled Shops’ gap as the Castillians’, Antarcticans’ and Polarians’ main trade partner by increasing trade with them (although this gap was never completely filled by the Empire), while also filling in the Snoss’ gap as Zhou’s main trade partner since the Zhouese distanced themselves from Swiss Ninja. Tenorio’s successor as the Antarctic President also held views that were far more in favour of free trade than Tenorio, which resulted in Magonia becoming one of the USA’s main trade partners by the mid-2030’s. It, along with member states of the Western Union and the Zeta Connections, was one of the counties that led the post-Shops Civil War economic recovery.

During this period, the country was faced with only one instance of violence during the 2028 Failed Coup. Markus Kang, backed by some rogue military officers (including his son) and some politicians, decided to launch a military coup against Slender. However, the coup was violently suppressed by the rest of the Magonian military. Every military officer and key politician involved was sentenced to death, ending the moratorium on the death penalty. Markus Kang himself was only sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life.

In the meantime, the Snoss Civil War further proved the threat of an isolated Snowzerland. In a bid to defend itself, Magonia built up its military significantly. It was also around this time that Magonia increased its involvement in the international community by investing in the remnants of Shops Island and being more vocal in the UAN. During this time period, Magonia also defended Puffle'and from several attempts by Swiss Ninja to retake the Puffish throne. Space warfare was also prioritised by the IMF, which began to develop a space fleet tailored for combat and establish divisions that specialise in zero-gravity combat.

After The Last Stand, Magonia once again restored relations with Snowzerland. By the time of Slender’s death in 2057, it was one of the forefront economic superpowers of Antarctica and one of the only that did not own a colony. Xavier Magnus succeeded him as Emperor, who himself was succeeded by Slender II (the Emperor of Azukri) after he succumbed to leukaemia.

Currency
The currency of Magonia is the Magnus Guilder, with the currency symbol Ǥ. As of August 2016, 1 Magnus Guilder is worth 1.8 Club Penguin Coin. The Central Bank of Magonia has the sole right to issue the Guilder, although the Avaritas Bank is also granted a 'perpetuity license' to issue the currency too by the Central Bank. The Gold Scraps was used as the official currency up until 2016 when it was replaced by the Magnus Guilder, with the currency symbol §. However, local businesses owned by Nexonans and Zescoreans also accept the currencies used by their home country (the Margatian Dollars and Munian Grams). The currency of the UTR, the Dauroes, is also used in parts of Magonia, especially by those near the border with UnitedTerra.

Economy
The economy of Magonia (which has a GDP of 8.41 trillion CPC in 2018) is broadly diversified, with the service sector accounting for 83% of the economy. The multinational Avaritas Bank, which happened to be owned by Slender, is the nation's largest financial services provider, as well as one of the largest in terms of profit and market capitalization in the world. It was formerly headquarters in South Pole City until it was moved to Riffleton. Almost every Magonian citizen and business has a saving or investment account in the bank and purchase insurance plans from its subsidiary NewLife Insurance, while wealthy locals and expats entrust the bank's wealth management teams to their investments. Avaritas spawned the creation of several other banking corporations, paving the road for what economists predict to be a prosperous financial sector. The city of Riffleton is deemed by many to be an international finance hub as a result of the Avaritas Bank being headquartered in the city.

The Information Technology industry is also gaining ground in the nation, with notable examples being the online transportation network company MotorGrab, the e-commerce platform MagnusMarket and the search engine Magnifying Look. The nation's unique culture and history also attracts lots of tourists every year, allowing the tourism industry to flourish. This is further boosted by Magonia’s numerous casinos and nightclubs, with the former legalised by Slender after he became Chancellor.

In addition, the retail industry has also changed as a result of reforms. The influx of foreign retailers into the nation has forced the few local brands to become more efficient. While some managed to survive, others did not and end up being gobbled by those who seized the opportunity. As a result, many new local retailer stores also emerged to take a share of the market. The country’s largest retailers include the Multi Grocer supermarket chain, Mikhails department store and the online-based MagnusMarket. One unique aspect of the Magonian retail and F&B industries is that customers can pay for their purchases with mobile payment apps. A sensor is often installed in the entrances of a store, which will automatically deduct the amount of money the consumer has to pay from their mobile wallets if they waddle out of the store.

The manufacturing sector is primarily made up of the arms-manufacturing, automobile-manufacturing, aerospace, shipbuilding, machinery, electronics, chemical and construction industries. Out of all of these, only the first wasn't recent. The Military-Industrial Complex of Magonia was injected with substantial amounts of investments by Margatian and Munian arms-manufacturing companies such as PULSE ever since the signing of the REFORM Treaty in February 2015. As a result, Magonia has not only completely recovered from a financial crisis and recession which it has been suffering since 2014, but also prospered. The state-owned Armaments Development and Research Corporation (ADRC), which is currently the largest arms-manufacturing company in the country, was founded in 2016 in an effort to have the country’s weapons locally designed and produced. Others, such as the Mason-owned Mason Defence Industries, have also sprang up. The introduction of factories and manufacturing plants completely run by AIs smart robots has resulted in a really efficient manufacturing sector that is capable of building large amounts of manufactured products at neck-breaking speed and lower overheads without compromising on quality.

In 2018, the government started encouraging the growth of the medical equipment and pharmaceuticals industries (mostly by investing in the research and development of new drugs and innovative medical devices) in an effort to make healthcare more affordable and efficient for everyone.

The government encourages entrepreneurship among its citizens by providing aspiring entrepreneurs with generous aid. This allowed local entrepreneurs to start their own businesses too, ushering a new age of economic prosperity. The government has been actively encouraging the growth of local industries (especially SMEs) order to reduce imports. This is done by establishing the National Small-to-Medium Enterprises Development Bank (in order to provide loans to SMEs) and the Rural Community Development Bank of Magonia (which is geared towards microfinancing small businesses and poor entrepreneurs in rural areas). Both of them are jointly owned by the government and the Avaritas Bank. In addition, the government also subsidises aspiring entrepreneurs who want to study business-related degrees in college.

Aside from that, agriculture is also important in the Magonian economy. Wheat, cows, barley, fish, vegetables and rice are the staples of the Magonian cuisine, as such they are widely grown. Eco-friendly technology and techniques (such as vertical farming) are used in order to ensure high-productivity and high-quality agricultural products without destroying the environment at the same time. Because of the large agricultural industry, Magonia doesn't import much food from overseas, with the exception of exotic fruits, dates and camel milk (since there's a demand among the Nexonans for the last two items). In order to curb this, Magonians have also started rearing camels for their milk and growing dates, making it the largest producer and exporter of dates and camel milk after Nexon. With food security having been achieved, the Magonian government aims to create an export market for its agricultural goods, first targeting fellow Zeta member states, and then the rest of Antarctica. Drones are extensively used to manage crops too.

While it has considerable deposits of iron, copper and coal, Magonia was otherwise lacking in terms of mineable resources. To counter this, Magonia imports raw materials from countries such as Azukri (rare earth metals and iron), Margate (iron, aluminium and gas), Munijoch (oil, gas and timber) and UnitedTerra (lithium).

Technology
The Magonian government has invested lots of efforts and resources into aggressively increasing the country’s technology level by encouraging private sector investment and subsidising R&D project. This is further aided by The M Triumvirate, with research endeavours further aided by Munijoch’s PULSE. Some of the most notable local companies in the tech sector are MagRe, Armaments Development and Research Corporation (ADRC), Cupera, SocMag and Lyttelton Inc. Generally speaking, Magonia has a very wide swath of information technology companies, most of which also contribute to a growing network of devices found on both Magonia and Munijoch. Magonia is also a large exporter of semiconductors and transistors, which are components used in almost every electronic device to regulate power and voltage.

In order to usher a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, the Magonian government has invested heavily into the research and development of artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, quantum computing and nanotechnology, with the explicit goal of completely automating the nation’s manufacturing industries. The goal of this "revolution" is to eventually have Magonia and its allies be on the forefront of the technological movement and establish a supremacy that can ultimately trickle down to the rest of the world through releasing patents on such technology. While this endeavor is not necessarily benevolent, it shows that the Magonian government has a semblance of care for both its allies and those potentially not aligned with them.

Demographics
As of 2018, there are about 21 million residents living in Magonia, around 19.3 million of whom are citizens of the nation. Most of the residents are native Magonians, while a small minority is made up of immigrants, permanent residents and naturalized citizens from Margate, Munijoch, UnitedTerra, Sleetden and Penguio, as well as Anglo countries and former Puffish colonies such as Puffle'and, Honk Gong, Calada, and Austiceia. These immigrants made the Magnus Empire's culture more Anglo-oriented.

Language
The Magonian constitution recognises English as the official language of Magonia, which is also the most widely-spoken language. However, in rural parts of the country, Magnus, a cross-over of Mandarin and Russian Cyrillic, is also spoken. Within the enclaves, however, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, German, and French are all common. In recognition of this, Magonian schools teach all languages as electives, and proficiency in at least one of the aforementioned languages are required to be admitted into one of the many schools in the area. This split is not all uniform, however; some languages are spoken more in some regions than in others. Statistically, they are divided up nationwide as shown:


 * English: 92%
 * Magnus: 62%
 * Russian: 26%
 * Mandarin: 34%
 * Cantonese: 13%
 * German: 8%
 * French: 6%

Interestingly, 74% of Magonians can speak more than 2 languages, and less than 13% can speak 4 or more.

Geography
Magonia is a predominantly rocky and mountainous country, with lots of basins and valleys encircled by high rock spires. Several bluffs and plateaus are common around the country, in which some settlements sprung up. The Great King's Valley, near the center of Magonia, is the largest valley, complete with a royal tomb carved into the mountain, housing the former rulers of Magonia from as far back as 1,000 years. In addition, the Ancient City is staged there, lined with stone houses, towers, and palaces along the grand road leading into the tomb.

Several rivers, the major ones being the Shung'Yung and the Sun Tzu Rivers, run through the valleys from the mountains. These rivers are essential for generating hydroelectricity, supplying drinking water and irrigation. In the past, the rivers were capable of causing damaging floods, but the construction of dams have erased this danger.

Cities
Adopting an unusual but fairly common practice, there are two capitals in Magonia.


 * Riffleton - The Imperial Capital (aka the official capital) of the nation since 1977, Riffleton is located at the southeastern coast of the nation and the home of the Emperor. It is the nation's main financial and trade hub and it's largest port city. It's surrounding areas are also filled with industrial/corporate towns. With a population of 2,350,000, it is also home to the Emperor Kalieth International Airport.


 * Dufton - The Imperial Capital prior to 1977, Dufton is the largest city in Magonia with a population of 3,150,000. Located at the central south of the nation, Dufton is the industrial heartland of the nation. Recent investments by both local and foreign companies have sparked an economic recovery for the previously debt-stricken city. Many Nexonan and Zescorean expats reside here since it is here where their expertise are needed the most in order to build up a strong manufacturing industry. In order to spark up the sector, the government has declared several free trade zones around the city in order to lure industrialists to build their factories here. The government’s programme to revitalise has largely worked, which resulted in a dramatic change of the city’s skyline.


 * New Riffleton - The Administrative Capital of the Empire, New Riffleton is a collaboration project between Magonian corporations and the government. It is a planned city conceptualized by none other than Slender, whose companies spent at least 23 billion Club Penguin Coins to build it. In addition, the government also contracted several corporations (namely those owned by Slender) to construct it's administrative buildings, along with the new Parliament building. Rivals of Slender have called it 'New Slender's Paycheck' since the lucrative contracts of building the city earned his companies a lot of money. New Riffleton is one of Magonia's tax-free city, which made it an ideal location for corporations to be based here. With a population of 1,420,000, the city is accessible by the outside world via the Chancellor Slender International Airport. New Riffleton is also developed as a garden and a smart city, in a successful effort to symbolise Magonia’s future as a scientifically advanced nation while preserving its environmental beauty at the same time.

Government
Magonia is officially a constitutional monarchy, where the Emperor is the Head of State while the Chancellor/Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The position of Emperor, held by Emperor Slender, is hereditary unless under unique circumstances. The Emperor de facto entrusts administration of the executive branch to the Chancellor, who’s appointed by the monarch from the Parliament. The current Chancellor is Markus Kang, who’s also the party leader of the Magonian National Front.

The bicameral Parliament is divided into an upper-house Senate (which has 90 Senators) and a lower-house National Assembly (which has 244 members). Elections for the National Assembly are held every 5 years, with the last election being held in 2015. The Senate’s members are appointed by the Emperor and organised by corporate groups (ie: members are appointed from the agricultural, business, environmental, labour, military and scientific communities) in order to ensure a nonpartisan debate on Bills.

The Nexonan and Zescorean communities, much of which only hold permanent resident status but not citizenship, are each led by a “Captain-General” designated by members of the community. These leaders are responsible for settling legal disputes within these communities and representing them in the National Assembly.

Previously before Magonia signed a treaty with Margate and Munijoch, it was an absolute monarchy under Emperor Kalieth the Great. Every single words of the Emperor were laws. However, when the treaty was signed, the Margatian and Munian governments demanded that Emperor Kalieth surrenders some of his powers to a democratically-elected Parliament and Chancellor, to which he happily obliged to since Magonia was in a dire financial crisis at that time.

Powers of the Emperor
The Emperor holds the following powers:


 * 1) Promulgate laws. The Emperor has a veto power to reject any bill passed by the Parliament. The Emperor can also refer the law to the Supreme Court for review.
 * 2) Appoint the Chancellor from among the members of the National Assembly. The Emperor also appoints or dismisses the Cabinet on the recommendation of the Chancellor or if they are impeached by the Supreme Court. The Chacellor may be dismissed if a vote of no confidence is passed in the Parliament or if the Chancellor is found to be incompetent. The Emperor presides over the Cabinet, but this responsibility can be delegated to the Chancellor.
 * 3) Dissolve the Parliament. In the event of a vote of no confidence succeeeding, the Chancellor may request the Emperor to dissolve the Parliament. If the request is granted, new elections will be held within two months. Otherwise, the Chancellor will be sacked and a replacement will be appointed. If the Parliament is dissolved, the Emperor may issue ordinances in order to ensure the proper functioning of the government. However, they are subject to the newly elected Parliament’s vote if they are to be continued. The Parliament can also be dissolved in the event of national emergency.
 * 4) Refer treaties or certain laws to popular referendums.
 * 5) Issue Imperial Orders that are basically temporary legislation unless voted by the Parliament to be permanent.
 * 6) Hold supreme command over the Imperial Magonian Forces.
 * 7) Appoint government officials, such as the Governor of the Central Bank, Judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, military officers, the heads of the intelligence services and the directors of executive agencies (the last category of officials is appointed on the Chancellor’s recommendations).
 * 8) Appoint ambassadors to other countries and accredit ambassadors from other countries.
 * 9) Pardon, suspend or commute the sentence of a convict.
 * 10) Convene and take part in Supreme Court meetings. It was originally proposed that Emperors could vote if they are qualified lawyers (namely passing the Bar exam).
 * 11) Declare martial law or state of emergency when the nation is threatened with instability. This will grant the Emperor temporary legislative power (which allows him to issue decrees) until martial law ends.

Culture
Since it's a combination of Zescorean and Margatian roots and traditions, Magonia has adopted a quite unique set of cultures, becoming a mixing pot of new customs and traditions inspired from both Magonia's ancient past and Munijoch's native lifestyle. Copper and quartz apparel are becoming a mainstay within the country, as well as Margatian traditional arts painting a vibrant picture of the scenery and countryside. Immigrants from Puffle'and and it's colonies, as well as Penguio and Sleetden are also making an impact on the nation's culture.

Sports
Since both Nexon and Munijoch adore football (as in association football), football is one of the most popular sports in Magonia. The national football team is the Magonia Guardians, which plays in the National Memorial Stadium of Magnus Ancestors. The Magonia Guardians often compete in international competitions ever since the country opened up in 2015. The Magonian Football League is the country’s professional football league, which consists of around 14 football clubs. Matches in the MFL are the most betted-on domestic sporting event in the country ever since the legalisation of sports betting in 2015. It is also not uncommon for teams to be owned by entities, just like many professional sports teams around the world.

Massive immigration also resulted in the popularisation of various other sports, such as badminton (Margate), tennis (Puffle'and), rugby (Puffle'and), ice hockey (Calada), baseball (USA) and basketball (USA). Some of these sports (such as soccer, basketball, badminton and tennis) are taught in Physical Education classes as they are considered to be the most popular sports in the Empire. These sports have their own sports league that hold matches on a regular basis.

The Magonian government promotes sports among its populace by erecting sports venues. The largest of these is the National Memorial Stadium of Magnus Ancestors, which is capable of seating 140,000 creatures.

Telecommunications
Magonia’s only telecommunications company is MagnusCom, which is a joint venture between the state and the Telenacle. The country currently has 18 million telephone lines in use, a staggering 100% of the population actively using the Internet and a smartphone penetration rate of over 99%. Starting in July 2019, MagnusCom began rolling out 5G technology that it had been developing since 2017. By December, the entire country has access to 5G networks, with over 40% of the population owning 5G-capable devices (including laptops, personal computers, smartphones and tablets) thanks to a government-subsidised scheme to promote 5G usage. As a result, the country's average connection speed is 380 Mbps, which is a very significant increase from the previous average connection speed of 64.9 Mb/s.

Visual arts
Ink wash painting used to be the most common form of painting up until the 20th century, which saw the popularisation of oil painting and water colour painting. Acrylic paintings became popular in the 21st century.

Due to Nexonan influences, calligraphy also became a popular art form in the country. In addition, pottery, sculpting and watchmaking are also essential in Magonian culture.

The Arts Gallery of Riffleton is said to hold one of the region’s largest art collections.

Cuisine
Munian cuisine has a huge impact on Magonian cuisine, which consists of exotic fruits, vegetables, steaks, and Munijoch's regionally-renowned Mineral Water. Gardens are often created in terraces unused by the civilians, or in abandoned buildings that are too unstable for long term occupation. In addition, cargo containers are used as mobile farms that can be stacked together and have outputs similar to that of a large-scale farm. The two staples of Nexonan cuisine, dates and camel milk, are also widely popular for their nutritional values.

Besides that, Puffish and Sleetish cuisines have also aroused the taste buds of native Magonians. The Anglian Sunday roast that consists of roasted fish, Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes has become a popular option for weekend brunch, alongside Egg’s Benedict, potato pancakes and the full Anglish breakfast, while there is also a boom in Austiceian-style boutique cafés, restaurants serving Japalandese sushi or Joseonean barbeque and Francterrean haute cuisine restaurants in the cities. The country is also home to dozens of Cream Soda breweries. Due to the Magonians’ entrepreneurial streak, there is also a rising number of Cream Soda microbreweries that acts as a combination of gastropub and brewery. The national non-alcoholic drink is, surprisingly, spring water, although coffee is also popular.

Media
Magonia is served by six major networks, namely the Magnus Broadcast Channel, Magonian Cable TV, Kruller's Channel, Magnus Media Network, OneMagnus Channel and Empire Broadcast Corporation. Out of them, only one (OneMagnus Channel) is owned by the government while three (Empire Broadcast Corporation, Magnus News Network and Magnus Broadcast Channel) share the same owner (Slender). Aside from broadcasting local TV shows, they also air international TV series and shows, especially those from Margate, Munijoch, the USA, UnitedTerra, Polaris and Culldrome Isles. News networks include the Magnus News Channel (subsidiary of the MBC), OneMagonian News (government-owned) and Magonian News Feed. There are also several online streaming services that allow Magonians to watch popular films and television shows on their mobile devices.

In addition to the news networks, newspapers have not lost popularity in the Magonian countryside. There are over 38 newspaper publishers in the nation, including local ones who only serve the town they are headquartered at. Prominent national newspapers include the Magnus Readers' Daily, OneMagnus Times (government-owned), the Riffleton Times, the Cash Journal (the nation's premier business-focused newspaper which also has an international presence), the Dufton Chronicles, the Riffleton Morning Herald and the Magnus Globe. However, they are increasingly digitised as more Magonians prefer to read their news online.

Due to the natives' love of music, there are 12 radio stations in Magonia, the most well-known of which is the government-owned MagnusFM. Despite the emergence of competitors such as DanceFM (broadcasting the latest hit songs, along with jazz music) Radio Magonia and Country Air (which broadcasts country music as the name implied), many Magonians remain as devoted listeners of MagnusFM because it has existed for over 65 years.

Celebrations
Magonia celebrates the Emperor's birthday with huge revelry, as well as the day Nexon, Margate, Munijoch, and Zescore became notable in the modern world. New Year and Christmas are also widely celebrated among the Magonians.

Magonian weddings traditionally depend on the groom’s wealth. While ordinary folks opt for a simple marriage registration, solemnisation and a formal banquet, wedding is an opulent affair that lasts for at least 5 days for those who are wealthy. Traditions dictated that the groom must give the bride’s father a “bride price”, although this practice became obsolete by the 20th century as it was deemed to be distasteful.

As a creature’s death is viewed by Magonians to be a reunion with loved ones rather than a departure, funerals are relatively happy affairs. Friends and relatives would gather around and share their fondest memories with the deceased before they either cremate or bury them. Cremation is the traditional method of disposing a deceased’s body as it is more economical, while burials are opted by those who are well-off. Unless a member of a royal family passes, funerals have a smart-casual dress code (which is in stark contrast to other countries).

Customs
Many of the citizens launch fireworks on the day of the full moon, signifying the end of the lunar cycle, as well as dawning deep purple for the Day of the Midnight Sun, a day reveled in Zescore's past for turning the Sun purple in the land surrounding Zescore, as well as the moon.

The Magonians also hold a deep reverence towards their Emperor, as per their traditional custom of respecting individuals in positions of authority. It is customary for Magonians to bow at least 50 degree when they meet the Emperor, although a nod of the head is also considered to be appropriate in modern times.

Puffish etiquette, especially when it comes to dining, is standard in the country.

Law Enforcement
The country’s main law enforcement unit is the Magnus Police Force (MPF). There are approximately 180,000 members in the police force. The current Inspector-General of the police force is Gavin Huang, who was appointed by Emperor Kalieth to the position in 2012. The MPF is renowned for its efficiency in deterring crime and investigating criminal cases, their incorruptibility and their alleged brutality towards criminals. The MPF’s uniform has a navy blue colour scheme.

The MPF’s equipment is heavily militarised, which has led to observers describing the MPF as more of a branch of the Imperial Magonian Armies. In times of war, the Magonian Emperor can deploy members of the MPF in battles as they are part of the reserve forces. MPF officers often patrol the streets in squads of at least five, while wearing combat uniforms that resembled those of the SIA Special Forces (albeit with a navy blue colour scheme).

The Magonian Secret Service is Magonia’s primary intelligence agency. It is tasked with domestic and foreign intelligence, as well as counterintelligence. The MSS is placed under the personal command of the Emperor, who delegates leadership to a director that the monarch appoints. The MSS is said to be the Emperor’s “Sixth Sensory Organ” as it is said to have every information involving the country, which led to some coining the abbreviation ESSO (Emperor’s Sixth Sensory Organ) as an alternative nickname for the agency. Some said that mysterious sources provide the organisation with intel that is usually inaccessible. Until this day, the ESSO is feared for its ominous presence in the country. The agency operates several detention facilities across the country, albeit their exact locations are secret.

The country is under a civil law system, with its code of law known as the Laws of Magnus.

Policy towards criminals, capital and corporal punishment
Magonia currently employs capital punishment in its legal code. In a practice shared with its close ally Azukri, the state’s official position is to rehabilitate first-time offenders and to dole out severe punishments to repeat offenders. This policy was adopted in July 2018, months after the two countries’ monarchs married each other. According to this policy, criminals are given a second chance by the government, which would attempt to re-educate them into believing that the government (and thus the monarch) is merciful enough to provide them with salvation. The government sends these category of convicts, known as First-time Offenders, to minimum-security correctional facilities that are more like educational institutions. Their accommodations are often compared to college dorms and they are allowed Internet access (albeit monitored and restricted). They are given resources to learn a range of practical skills and academic subjects, ranging from culinary skills, electronics repair, farming to philosophy, economics, computer programming and languages. Initial Sinners are often sentenced to terms ranging from 2 to 4 years. This essentially meant that any initial offender, even those who committed sedition, treason and first-degree murder, is exempt from their original punishment (which is often far worse). However, the Monarch has the power to revoke a convict’s First-time Offender status and sentence them to their original punishment.

Those who aren’t initial offenders are given harsh sentences. They would often be sent out to rural areas to detention with hard labour for a long time (ranging from 10 years to a lifetime). These offenders, while given ample nutrition and accommodations to live out healthy lives, have to perform menial labour. By the end of their sentences, they would usually only be permitted to live in a certain town (usually rural and newly developed) for a few years before they regain their freedom to live in other settlements. Corporal punishment used to be carried out via flaeggelation until it was abolished in 1974.

Capital punishment is carried out via guillotine. From 2017 until March 2019, there was no execution in the country. A de facto moratorium on the deah penalty was decreed by Emperor Slender in 2018 after his ascension to the throne, but it was soon reinstated when Slender approved a court’s sentence to execute 10 members of the Pookie Army.

Defence and Military
The Imperial Magonian Armies are the official armed forces of the Magonian empire. It consists of three branches - the Imperial Magonian Army (ground-based), the Imperial Magonian Navy (Navy) and the Imperial Air Force. As of 2018, the IMA is composed of over 475,000 active personnel and 290,000 reservists. The Emperor, who holds ultimate control over the military, is the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Magonian Armies. He is assisted in his military duties by the Magonian Imperial General Staff.

The IMA has been undergoing continuous technological advances in order to increase the military’s technological capability. This is done by funding more R&D projects of armaments. The IMA has also procured advanced weaponry from allied countries such as Margate and Munijoch (most notably via PULSE), but this has now taken a back-seat as the government focuses its effort on developing local weaponry.

The IMA’s primary directive is to “defend the Empire’s sovereignty and territories, either by directly defending the homeland itself or by neutralising threats as efficiently as possible”. As a result, the IMA is well-versed in defensive and counteroffensive tactics, especially in guerrilla warfare in case total war breaks out. Because of that, citizens have to serve a total of 15 months of military service so that they may be called up for service in case the country is under attack. The IMA has also built numerous underground bunkers across the country, which are incorporated beneath civilian structures. In addition to that, the Firestorm Defense System (FDS) (which is composed of many all-weather (and often mobile) air defense systems throughout the country that intercepts and destroys projectiles ranging from short-range rockets, artillery shells to IRBMs and ICBMs such as the Triple X) also helps to protect Magonia from missile attacks.

Magonia has imported one MJ-680 Air Battleship and 5 MJ-Juggernauts from Munijoch for defense. It also possesses 1,300 PULSEBombs in its arsenals.

Education
The Empire’s education system is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Government-run educational institutions are dominant, but there is a rising number of privately-owned schools.

Every Magonian is required to have primary and secondary education. However, they are allowed to take accelerated courses in order to graduate sooner. Pre-elementary education used to be uncommon in the country up until 2011. It is the Education Ministry’s stipulation that Magonians can only start pre-elementary education when they are 5 years old. All kindergartens in the land are privately owned and operated, setting their own curriculum. However, there is no minimum age for starting primary education. Usually, students would spend 1 or 2 years in kindergartens.

In Magonia, primary education typically takes 5 years to complete. Students do not have much choice when it comes to selecting subjects. Students are required to take the following subjects:


 * English language


 * Lingual Subject I (Magnus, Mandarin, Russian, German and French)


 * Mathematics


 * Science


 * Basic History


 * Basic Social Studies


 * Basic Life-skills


 * Physical Education


 * Computer studies


 * Cultural Education (Visual arts, music)

In addition to the above, they may also choose to take another lingual subject.

By the end of primary education, students have to sit for the PTEC (Primary-tier Education Certificate) examinations. Students have to sit for at least 5 subjects (English, Lingual Subject I, Mathematics, Science and Basic History) and up to 7 subjects (Basic Social Studies and Lingual Subject II) may be taken. However, only 38% of all exam candidates chose to take the minimum required subjects. Traditionally, PTEC exam results were used to determine the school that the candidate will be going to for their secondary education. However, this resulted in an uneven distribution of students based on their performance, as some schools would be clogged with students who did not do well and others would be full of students who excelled in the PTEC exams. However, this was changed in 2011 so that the distribution of students is more even.

Secondary education typically requires 6 years to finish. At this point, students have more choice when it comes to choosing subjects, although it is mandatory for them to study the following subjects:


 * English


 * Lingual Subject I (a choice of Magnus, French, German and Russian)


 * General Mathematics (if a student is taking both Additional Mathematics I and Additional Mathematics II, they may be exempt from this subject)


 * General Science (if a student is taking biology, chemistry and physics, they may be exempt from this subject)


 * History


 * Geography (which encompasses social studies)


 * Life-skills (which includes financial planning)


 * Computer studies

Students may choose from the following electives. They may choose from as many as they want, provided that they are willing to go home later than other students:


 * Additional Mathematics I


 * Additional Mathematics II


 * Agricultural Studies (only available in specific schools)


 * Biology


 * Bookkeeping and Accounting


 * Civic studies


 * Culinary (only available in specific schools)


 * Basic computer science


 * Economics


 * Electrics (only in specific schools)


 * Entrepreneurship


 * Chemistry


 * Lingual Subject II


 * Lingual Subject III


 * Mechanical Repairing


 * Music


 * Performing arts (only available in specific schools)


 * Physical Education


 * Physics


 * Visual art

By the end of secondary education, students are required to sit for the STEC examinations (Secondary-tier education certificate). They are required to sit for all of the compulsory subjects (except for Life-skills), and they may also choose to sit for as many electives as they wish. STEC results can be used for either pre-university studies or for undergraduate courses. Usually, students who did not do well in their STEC exams would undertake pre-university studies (which means getting a diploma).

Diploma courses in various vocations are offered by the country’s government-run polytechnics. Some of the more notable polytechnics include Dufton Polytechnic No. 1, Dufton Polytechnic No. 4, Junxiao Polytechnic, Magnus Polytechnic and others. They take around 1 or 1.5 years to complete. Meanwhile, it takes 3 years to finish a Bachelor’s degree. Postgraduate studies such as Master’s degrees, doctorates and PhD’s are also available in universities. Some of the country’s most notable public universities are the Imperial University-College, University of New Riffleton, the University of Dufton and the University of Riffleton.

Road
Multiple forms of automobiles exist in the country. Prior to 2015, Magonia’s only automobile company was Sheng Auto (SA), which manufactured economy cars such as compacts and subcompacts. Those who are well-off were able to import foreign-branded cars from the USA, Margate, Alemania and Japaland. However, the popularity of Margatian cars began to increase when Nexonans started importing them. The arrival of Zescoreans culminated in the importation of hydrogen fuel-cell cars and the construction of hydrogen fuel-cell recharging stations. Magonia’s entry into the Zeta Connections also resulted in the popularity of Mobeels and UnitedTerra. Later on, the Magonian government revitalised the SA brand, launching a new line of electric-powered hybrid cars that are powered by hydrogen cells and solar power.

During the late 2010s, Nexonans imported Margatian-made cars over to provide urban travel. Munijoch agreed to import their own hydrogen fuel-cell based cars into the cities, as well as construct hydrogen fuel-cell recharging stations. After that, the local automobile-manufacturing industry has been introducing its own brand of solar-powered and hydrogen fuel-cell cars (after learning from the Nexonans and Zescoreans) in order to reduce the nation's dependence. Occasionally, one may see bicycles on the city streets, or motor bikes putt-putting around. In addition, in order to make up for a lack of taxis, Slender also funded an online transportation network company named MotorGrabber, which is also available as a mobile app. The app functions by allowing customers to hail a non-commercial car driven by someone who registered with the company as a driver.

Light rail transits are a common sight in cities, with the Magnus Integrated Rail Network providing rail access to the numerous districts of both Riffleton and New Riffleton. Magonians are encouraged to use the subway since it's a cheaper and cleaner alternative thanks to government subsidisation. To help with this, the Magonian government primarily builds transit-oriented developments in order to ensure maximum walkability. For long-distance transportation within the nation, Zescoreans provided an easy solution: hyper-rail train cars that weave through the mountain sides with great speed and swiftness. Painted a charcoal anti-radar black and with polygonal siding, they're designed to resist impact blows if the railing were to fail and be aerodynamic to cut through the air, providing for better mileage. At night, their underbody shines a deep purple, signifying the Land of the Midnight Sun's impact on the creations of Zescore.

In the meantime, some civilians use their own makeshift rafts and boats in rural areas. In coastal cities or those where water travel is a necessary part of daily life, ferry services are provided by the Ministry of Transport, with management devolved to the city's local transport authorities. As it is an island, the local shipbuilding industry has been enjoying rapid growth thanks to foreign help from Munijoch, which helped to develop a domestically made boat, similar in style to Zescore's battleship models, the ZES-X9, but for civilian use.

Finally, for air transport, Munijoch imported two Commercial Vanguard Force planes for cargo and civilian transport. Nexon imported a fleet of 8 commercial jet planes for tourist and travel between countries. The civilian aircrafts were later sold to the Magnus Airway, which became the principal airline of the nation and, with the help of a brilliant management team, expanded into a fleet of 85 airplanes, reaching over 65 destinations. There are two international airports in the nation - the Emperor Kalieth International Airport (also known as the 'old' international airport and the hub for several subsidiaries of Magnus Airway, most of which are budget airlines offering flights to UnitedTerra and Munijoch) and the Emperor Slender International Airport (also known as the new international airport since it is built in 2015 and opened on 1st January 2016). Several expansions are planned in the future as there was an increase in demand for air travel.

Foreign Relations

 * UnitedTerra_flag.PNG UnitedTerra ~ Excellent. As founding members of the Zeta Connections, Magonia and UTR are trade, diplomatic and military allies.


 * Culldromeislesflag.png Culldrome Isles ~ Excellent. The two are at good terms and developing relations after their newly formed alliance.


 * Tropicalis Flag.png Tropicalis ~ Decent. All though not much in the form of relations has been established, both nations are on good terms with each other.


 * CandviaFlag.png Candvia ~ Good. The two have countries have pretty good relations and traded a lot in the past, and have gotten to know each other thanks to cultural exchanges.


 * NewUnitedProvincesFlag.png United Provinces ~ Good. The two countries have great relations, especially as Magonia has a close friendship with Margate, which is one of the United Provinces' greatest allies and members of the Western Union.


 * EmpNewFlag.png Emperorlands ~ Decent. The two haven't had much contact before, but they have a trade agreement since March 2018.


 * ShopsIslandFlag2013.png Shops Island ~ Great. Margate and Shops actively engage in trade and diplomatic activities. With Magonia’s new status as an Axle Minor member state under joint Shopper, Culldrome and Munian sponsorship, the two countries’ relations have reached new heights.


 * SouthJoseonFlag.png South Joseon ~ Excellent. Magonia and South Joseon trade goods and services worth billions of CPC per annum. Emperor Slender has affirmed the Magonian government's commitment to increasing the Asiapelagoan country's technology level.

Trivia

 * The consumption of Batavian Doom Weed is strictly regulated and only allowed for medicinal purposes.


 * Magonia is one of the Antarctica’s largest producers of lithium-air batteries, 3D printers, bioplastics and RFID chips.


 * Magonia has the largest expat populations of Nexonans and Zescoreans outside of Nexon and Zescore.


 * Despite popular beliefs, Magonia has one of the strictest weapon-ownership laws in Antarctica.


 * EDM is said to be the most popular form of music in the country.


 * Magonia is said to have the largest number of dance clubs (especially night clubs) per capita in Antarctica.


 * The country’s most prominent exports are microchips, personal computers, mobile devices and house appliances.