Alero

Alero, officially the Republic of Alero, is the westernmost country in Jimmada. It is a part of the Kekere (Lower) region of Jimmada, and is bordered by Nzandi to the south, and the Ajo Sea to the west; covering 562,352.89 km2, with a population of just over 28 million. It contains the southern end of the Golati Mountains and the southern reaches of the Ilku basin, with much of its remaining territory arable land. Its lengthy coastline includes the conjunction of the continents of Jimmada and Kasare. Alero is home to Jimmada’s westernmost point, Cape Obulaga. Its capital and largest city is Reran, located on its southwestern coast.

From early antiquity, Alero was inhabited by the ingigenous Abuda peoples. The Abuda are the original inhabitants of the region; by the 12 century BCE, they established numerous city states, of which Idema emerged as the most powerful by the 9th century BCE. A major mercantile and military power, Idema would reign supreme for four centuries, until it was defeated by Tanet in the 5th century BC. The Kingdom of Tanet would rule the region in one form or another for six centuries, introducing LOCALRELIGION and leaving architectural legacies like the Baths of Itaja. After several waves of invasions from the north, Jarader Khadrami invaders conquered all of Alero by the first century CE, bringing h'Ejrad and Khadrami culture to the local inhabitants. The resulting Tanuzhakid Empire established control, establishing a dynasty remembered for its tolerance and new cultural heights. Later, a migration of Bindu peoples in the 11th century from what is now Nzandi resulted in the toppling of Tanuzhakid rule, replacing them with another set of foreign leaders under the Obaguala Dyanasty. This line of rulers lasted until 1368, when finally native rule returned under the rule of Aleri King Omatseye.

Omatseye and his descendants ruled over the Aleri people with a generally even-handed manner; Omatseye himself is revered among Aleris even today, thanks to reforms such as banning chattel slavery and reestablishment of religious tolerance. It was during this time that the region came to be called Alero, a word meaning “land of grace.” His descendants would rule in his name for the next five centuries, until the modern age finally rushed to catch up with Alero in full force. In 1956, following a period of protracted drought and economic decline, the monarchy was overthrown by the National Revivalist-inspired group known as The Besida. The Besida held on to its rule in Alero for 27 strife-ridden years, filled with famine and state-driven conflict, until the last Besida dictator was forced from the country. Following his flight in 1983, a coalition of rebel groups creation the Aleri Democratic People’s Coalition, a broad alliance of various groups and ideologies, that formed a transitional government. A new constitution was drafted in 1986, establishing the republic as it is known today.

Alero remains a unitary, semi-presidential representative democratic republic, rated as having among the freest and most democratic in the region. It is well integrated into the international community, as a member of the World Forum and many other organizations, both political and economic in nature. It maintains close economic and political relations with its neighbors, and despite lagging issues of inequality and underdevelopment, it remains one of the best examples of consistent growth and development in its part of the world.

Etymology
The word Alero comes from the Abuda language, meaning “land of grace.” This name was first used to refer to the region in the 14th century, when it came under the rule of King Omatseye I, the first in the line of Tseyic Dynasty.

Before Alero, the region’s name was generally referred to as Kakere (meaning lower, or basin), which gave the present-day name of the region of Jimmada in where it can be found today.

Antiquity
Farming methods reached the region of Alero about 4000 BCE. Agricultural communities in the humid coastal plains of southern and central Alero were the ancestors of the modern-day Abuda people. Other than the coastal Abuda were the inland nomadic Hallus people, later absorbed by the migrant Bidu.

By the beginning of recorded history, Alero was clearly demarcated between the inland Hallus tribes, and its coast, settled by the Abuda. Urban populations appeared along the coast as early as the 12th century in city-states such as Ibeji and Okoro. The city of Idema was founded in the 9th century BCE; legend says it was founded by a queen of the same name, whose accompanying legend has been among the most enduring tales of love, loss, and life in the region. Idema quickly rose to preeminence among other city states in the region following a series of wars, before entering a period of decline in the 5th century BCE. Although Idema remained a key cultural center, the city-state of Tanet supplanted it at this time, conquering much of the southern and central regions of what is now Alero and establishing the Kingdom of Tanet.

During the era of the Kingdom of Tanet, the region enjoyed a period of rapid development. The economy boomed, with the region owing its prosperity to a combination of agriculture and trade. Called the Granary of the Ajo, its production of cereals, oils, and other foodstuffs made it a wealthy center of commerce amongst various peoples. Other exports included textiles, marble, wine, livestock, fruit, and pottery. There was an especially huge boost in the production of ceramics, both in the production of vessels and tiles for mosaics and floors. Ships from Tanet regularly traveled east and west, exerting a great deal of influence in terms of culture, religion, and politics over the neighboring trading cities.

Middle ages
Sometime in the second century CE, the Jarader conquest occurred in the region. They founded many cities in the north, including Jaraf, which stands to this day. It was there in 170 CE that the Great Temple of Jaraf was built, suggesting that the Wajraders had a strong hold on the region by this point. The temple is the oldest and most prestigious sanctuary in the Hadrimat Southwest, and among the oldest in the world outside Haksarad, considered a masterpiece of Hadrimat art and architecture.

Following the Jarader conquests, the new power in the region quickly established itself as the Tanuzhakid Empire, with Khadrami Emperors and administrators governing over majority-natives populations. However, the Tanuzhakids did not attempt to suppress or stamp out these local societies; instead, it balanced and pacified them via administrative policies that lead to more systematic, centralized, and uniform rule over the region. Eschewing tribal bonds and city-state identitarianism, the Tanuzhakids united their new realms, far from their homelands to the north, through loyalty to a benevolent Emperor with almost divine status. The Tanuzhakid state’s economic policies, deriving most revenues from commerce and agriculture and mandating taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency, allowed for peasants and artisans to enter larger markets. The relative peace maintained by the empire was a key factor in its economic expansion, allowing for an explosion of patronage for painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture. Tanuzhakid rule lasted for nine centuries until they, too, were ousted by a new group of foreigners.

In the 11th century, from the southeast came the ancestors of the modern Binu peoples, part of a greater migration originating in what is now Nzandi. This began the Migration Period, characterized by the decline of the Tanuzhakids and during which there were invasions from several proto-Bindu groups. Tanuzhakid rule would be violated by several succeeding waves of invaders, until the Bindu warrior Obaguala overthrew the Tanuzhakid Emperors and established himself as Obaguala I, Emperor of Kakere. Under the Empire of Kakere, Obaguala I and his successors ruled their realm from a native administration modeled after the Tanuzhakid system, in partnership with Tanuzhakid-Bidu military officers. Not all administrators were members of the traditional groups who had served the Tanuzhakids, however, allowing for the advancement of indigenous Abuda through new avenues. Imperial Kakere would dominate the region until the 14th century.

Early modern era
The last Kakere Emperor was dethroned in 1368, after which the empire collapsed into full revolt. However, in 1457, native rule finally returned the region under King Omatseye, founder of the Tseyic Dynasty of rulers and the Kingdom of Alero. Omatseye is remembered today for his progressive social policies, promising to maintain tolerance for all faiths and peoples, as well as announcing an end to permanent chattel slavery in Alero forever. He is also credited with giving Alero its present name, wishing to provide the people of his kingdom with a new name that all could feel united under. He and his successors became remembered for their extensive architectural projects, commissioning the construction of numerous libraries, universities, hospitals, and fortresses. However, by the 17th century, Alero experienced a period of isolation referred to as the “Era of Princes.” Kings became figureheads, controlled by merchant lords and noblemen.

Aleri isolationism ended following the ascension of King Jokeba in 1815, who successfully wrenched power away from the local lords and began the process of modernizing Alero and recentralizing the power of the King. Alero began taking part in world affairs once again. Jokeba began a process of consolidation, centralization, and statecraft that would be continued by succeeding Kings. The process reduced the power of regional nobles, restructured the King’s administration, and created a professional army. These changes created the basis for establishing the effective sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Aleri state.

Modern day
Following a protracted period of drought, economic exhaustion, and involvement in foreign conflicts at the behest of Alero’s Kings, the Aleri monarchy was overthrown in 1956 by the National Revivalist-inspired group known as The Besida (The Fate or The Destiny, The Doom to their detractors). The Besida were led by a triumvirate of dissatisfied military men backed by the Velorenkyan government. They promised autonomy and national self-determination to Alero’s numerous ethnic minorities, a reversal of the monarchy’s official policy of unitary and ethnolinguistically homogeneous statehood, as centered around the Abuda people and their language. To that end, in 1957 the Besida promulgated a constitution modelled on the Velorenkyan Constitution with such provision.

The ensuing government suffered numerous wide-scale drought due to its disastrous agricultural policies, as well as subsequent uprisings, an attempted coup, and an accompanying refugee problem. In 1973, the leader of the Besida passed away suddenly, and his successor assassinated in a coup by hard-line Besia members. The Aleri crisis worsened under the new regimel thousands perished as a result of crop failures, with hunger used as a weapon against certain groups. Forced deportations were common, with whole communities being exiled from the nation on occasion. Despite Velorenkyan aid, the Besida was unable to maintain control of the country, and in 1983 its leaders fled to that country, leaving Alero and its people to handle their failures.

Following this exodus, the ADPC (Aleri Democratic People’s Coalition), the largest of the rebel groups, convened a National Conference in the city of Reran to establish the Transitional Government of Alero. The TGA comprised a 67-member Council of Representatives from various groups, guided by a council charter that functioning as a transitional constitution. Despite some minor setbacks, in 1986, a new constitution was adopted that established Alero as a unitary semi presidential constitutional republic, with a bicameral legislature and an independent judiciary. The first multiparty elections took place in 1987, which were won by the ADPC, now transitioned into a purely political body. ADPC leader Osaurense Ukun became the first President of the Republic, and Odoye Ukumakpene was elected its Prime Minister.

Geography
Alero is situated on the coast of the Ajo sea in southwest Jimmada, midway between Chadah to the west and the Abayadi Sea to the east, bordered by Nzandi to its south. Though relatively small in size, Alero has great environmental diversity due to its east-west extent. Differences in Alero are largely east-west environmental differences defined by sharply decreasing rainfall eastward from any point.

The Golati mountains, the southern extension of the wider chain, run across Alero’s eastern border in a vertical direction. The Itele, a broadening coastal plain along Alero’s western coast, is among the world’s premier areas for cultivation of crops such as cereals, grapes, and other foodstuffs. Inland, between the Itele and the Golatis are the Igbese, the Steppes. Much of this region is either semi-arid or desert in character.

Alero’s lengthy coastline corresponds to a large swath of the eastern Ajo sea claimed as Aleri waters. The city of Reran is built on a hill slope down to the lake of Rera. The hilly southwest contains numerous historic sites, speaking to the ages upon ages that constitute the nation’s cultural heritage.

Climate
Alero’s climate is dry summer along its western coast, with mild rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The inland of the country is desert. The terrain in the far-east is mountainous, hanging over the hot, dry central plains. The north-easternmost part of the country is the most arid. A series of salt lakes, known as Kikoro, lie in the northern part of the country. The lowest point is Ooni salt lake in the north at 17 meters below sea level, and the highest is Mount Olowoiyebiye at 1,544 meters in the country’s far eastern mountains.

Biodiversity
Alero is home to five terrestrial ecoregions: dry summer mixed forests, dry summer woodlands and steppe, arid halophytics, semi-arid steppe, and arid steppe.

Government and politics
Alero is a unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic, with a president serving as head of state, a prime minister as head of government, a bicameral legislature, and a civil law legal system. The Constitution of Alero, adopted 1986, guarantees cultural and administrative autonomy for many of the country’s ethnic groups, to be carried out through the government’s upper house and specially designed territorial devolutions. In 1986, Alero held its first multiparty elections following the overthrow of the dictatorial Besida regime. Today, Alero is rated as being among the highest-rated democracies in the world.

The number of legalized political parties in Alero has grown considerably since the 1986 Revolution. There are now over 100 legal parties, including some inspired by the former Besida regime (albeit in much more moderate fashion). Alero’s current ruling party is the ADPC (Aleri Democratic People’s Coalition), with its primary opposition party being the DFL (Democratic Forum for Alero). While a few of the larger parties are well-established and can draw on well-defined party structures, many of the 100+ parties extant as of 2020 are small and specific to certain regions or ethnic groups. Rare for any part of the world, women hold more than 60% of seats in the National Assembly’s lower house. In the 2021 session, women held between 41% and 54% of all seats for various committees and panels. The Aleri legal system is heavily influenced by customary law as well to a surprising extent by the Velorenkyan-inspired legal codes enacted by the Besida. The Besida formally ended all kinds of slavery and various other outdated practices upon their rise to power in 1956. A Code of Personal Status was adopted by the Besida government that remains partially in force today, giving all people full legal status (allowing them to run and own small-level businesses, have bank accounts, and seek passports under their own authority). The code outlawed the practices of polygamy and repudiated the requirement of fault-based divorce in Alero’s legal system. Further reforms in 1986 included a provision allowing Aleris to maintain their citizenship upon naturalizing in another nation, retroactively granting citizenship to those who had lost it in previous years as refugees in other nations. The Law of Personal Status is applied to all Tunisians regardless of their religion or ethnic group.

Military
As of 2020, Alero has an army of just over 50,000 personnel equipped with 87 main battle tanks and 54 light tanks. The navy had 10,000 personnel operating 50 patrol boats and 6 other craft. The Aleri Air Force has 200 aircraft and 9 UAVs. Paramilitary forces consist of a 20,000 member gendarme. Alero’s military spending was 1.6% of its GDP as of 2020. The army is, “responsible for national defense as well as internal security” according to Alero’s constitution. Alero has participated in peacekeeping efforts in the region in cooperation with the World Forum, most recently in response to the worsening refugee crisis in Nzandi.

Since the overthrow of the Besida military government, the military has played a professional, apolitical role in defending the nation from external threats. Since 2018 and at the direction of the President, the military has taken on an increasing responsibility for domestic security and humanitarian crisis response.

Electoral divisions
Alero is divided into 306 electoral districts for the purpose of conducting elections for the Upper House of the National Assembly, the Assembly of the Republic. In the Assembly of the Republic each electoral district is apportioned to hold 105,000 people, but 39 additional districts are drawn for members of minority groups so as to ensure their representation in government.

Economy
Ranked the most competitive economy in Jimmada by the World Forum Economic Panel in 2010, Alero is an export-oriented country in the process of liberalizing and privatization its economy. Although the Aleri economy has averaging annual 5% GDP growth since the early 1990s, it has suffered from corruption benefitting politically connected elites. Alero’s Penal Code criminalizes several forms of corruption, including active and passive bribery, abuse of office, extortion, and conflicts of interest, but the anti-corruption framework is not always effectively enforced. However, according to the World Forum Corruption Perceptions Index, Alero was ranked the least corrupt country in the region in 2018. Alero has a diverse economy, ranging from agriculture, mining, manufacturing, petroleum products, and tourism, which alone accounted for 7% of its total GDP and several hundred thousand jobs in 2020. The agricultural sector accounts for 11.6% of the GDP, industry 25.7%, and services 62.8%. The industrial sector is mainly made up of clothing and footwear manufacturing, production of car parts, and electric machinery. Although Alero managed to average 5% growth over the last decade, it continues to suffer from high unemployment, especially among young people.

Tourism
Among Alero’s tourist attractions include the cosmopolitan capital city of Reran, the ancient ruins of Okoro, the Khadrami and Bidu quarters of Tano, and the coastal resorts of the southwest. According to Myrish travel magazine Reise Steder (Travel Places), Alero is “known for its golden beaches, sunny weather, and affordable luxuries.”

Energy
The majority of electricity used in Alero is produced locally, by state-owned company AENC (Aleri Electric and Natural Gas Company). Oil production in Alero is nearly 100,000 barrels of refined petroleum a day, with many oil fields found in the country’s inland northeast. Until 1985, Alero (at least on paper) had plans for two nuclear power stations, to be operational by 2000 and with materials provided by Velorenkya. The Aleri government officially announced in 1995 its plans to abandon this course, instead considering other options to diversity its energy mix. These include renewable energies, coal, shale gas, and liquified natural gas. According to the Aleri Solar Plan (which is Alero’s Unified Renewable Energy Strategy not limited to solar), Alero’s objective is to reach 50% of renewable energies in the electricity mix by 2030, most of which would be accounted for by wind power and photovoltaics.

Transport
The country maintains over 50,000 kilometers or roads, with three main highways traversing north-south along Alero’s coastline. There are 91 airports in Alero, with Reran International and Tanet International being the most important. Five airlines are headquartered in Alero: Alero Air, Tanet Airlines, New Air Alero, Reran Air Express, and Harpy Airlines. The country’s railway network is operated by the National Aleri Railways Company, and amounts to 6,400 kilometers in total. The Reran area is served by a light rail network managed by a separate state-owned corporation.

Water supply and sanitation
Alero has achieved among the highest access rates to water supply and sanitation serves in its region. As of 2010, access to safe drinking water became close to universal, approaching 100% in urban areas and 94% in rural areas. Alero provides good quality drinking water throughout the year to its people. Responsibility for the water supply systems in urban areas and large rural centers is assigned to the National Corporation for the Exploration and Exploitation of Water, a national water supply authority that functions as an autonomous public entity under the Department of Agriculture. Planning, design, and supervision of small and medium water supplies in the remaining rural areas is the responsibility of the Directory of Rural Water Supply and Maintenance. Water supply has been a matter of utmost importance in Alero since ancient times, with the construction of fenuko aqueducts.

Demographics
According to national figures, as of 2020, Alero has a population of 28,117,644 inhabitants. The government has supported a successful family planning program that has reduced the population growth rate to just under 2% per annum, contributing to Alero’s economic and social stability.

Ethnic groups
According to national figures, ethnic groups in Alero are: Abuda 50.9%, Bidu 18.2%, Khadrami 9.5%, Group 8.3%, Group 5.2%, Group 4.3%, Group 0.5%, Kokole 0.3%, and Other 2.2%. According to the 1956 census conducted by the Besida, Alero had a population at the time of 9,327,774, with percentages of ethnic groups generally resembling modern figures, albeit with an overall lesser percentage of Abuda peoples. Bidu peoples are concentrated in the inland steppes and mountains of the country, although an increasing number are migrating to coastal areas for work. Jarader influence form the north has been particular significant in forming the Khadrami-Aleri community, although after the end of Khadrami rule the line between them and the Abuda elite began to blur somewhat. Along with the Abuda, the first people known to history in what is now Alero were the Hallus people. Recent genetic studies have shown that up to 50% of Aleris living in the south may have genetic markers suggesting Hallus ancestry. Numerous civilizations and people have invaded, migrated to, or have been assimilated into the population, leading to an ever-shifting demographic makeup.

Education
The total adult literacy rate in 2020 was 97.3%, and this rate goes up to 100$ when considering only people from 15 to 24 years old. Education is given a high priority and accounts for 6% of the GDP. Basic education for children between the ages of 6 and 16 had been compulsory since 1985. While children often speak a variety of native languages at home, when they enter school at age 6, they are taught to read and write in Abuda. From the age of 12, they are taught a second language of their parents’ choice. The four years of secondary education are open to all primary school graduates, from where students focus on entering university level or join the workforce after completion. Secondary education is divided into two stages: general academic and specialized. Higher education in Alero has experienced a rapid expansion, and the number of students has more than tripled over the past 10 years.

Health
In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 3.37% of the country’s GDP. In 2009, there were 12.02 physicians and 33.12 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants. Life expectancy at birth was 78.73 years in 2016, or 75.72 for men and 81.78 for women. Infant mortality in 2016 was 11.7 per 1,000.

Culture
The Culture of Alero is mixed due to its long established history of outside influence from various peoples - such as Khadrami, Bindu, and others - who all left their mark on the country. Dishes such as Abuda bean dumplings go back centuries, establishing a rich culinary legacy. Cultural practices such as Otigbo distinguish Alero from her neighbors as a nation rich in tradition and cultural traditions.

Literature
Aleri literature exists in two main forms: Abuda and Khadrami. Abuda literature dates back in some form to the 12th century BCE with the rise of the Abuda city-states in the region. It is more important in both volume and culture perception than Khadrami literature, introduced with the rise of the Tanuzhakid Empire in the second century CE. Olore, working as artists and courtesans, first arose during this period, although they remained in some form until the mid 20th century. Among the foremost Aleri literary figures include Tofe Adghan, who has produced more than 150 radio stories, over 500 poems and folk songs, and nearly 15, Otokun Komene, an Abuda novelist who published many notable books in the 1930s which caused a scandal due to their scathing critique of the nation’s political system, and many others. As for poetry, Aleri poetry typically opts for nonconformity and innovation in form, rather than holding to traditional formats. Khadrami poetry in Alero is characterized by its critical approach; themes of wandering in nature, exile, and heartbreak are common focuses of their work. The national bibliography lists 3,600 non-academic books published in 2000 in Alero, with 2,800 published in Abuda. This figure increased to 4,000 and 4,300 in 2007. Nearly a third of the books published are for children or young adults.

Music
At the beginning of the 20th century, musical activity was dominated by the liturgical repertoire associated with the different religious groups and secular repertoire which consisted of instrumental pieces and songs in different styles of origins, essentially borrowing characteristics of musical language. In 1930, the Royal Artistic and Cultural Association was founded, in large part as a musical school. The school helped revive traditional Aleri music largely to a social and cultural revival led by the elite of the time. These people were aware of the risks of loss of the musical heritage and believed these to be part of the foundations of the Aleri identity. The Association did not take long to assemble a group of musicians, poets, and scholars. The creation of Radio Reren in 1943 allowed musicians a greater chance to disseminate their works.

Media
The TV media has long remained under the domination of the Broadcasting Corporation of Alero and its predecessor, the Aleri Radio and Television Company, founded in 1987. In 2009, President Amorighoye announced the demerger of the business, which became effective the next year. Until then, the ARTC managed all public television stations and four national radio stations. Most programs are in Abuda, but some are in Bindu or Khadrami. Growth in private sector radio and television broadcasting has seen the creation of numerous operations. Before the 1985 Revolution, although freedom of the press was formally guaranteed by the constitution, almost all newspapers in practice followed the government line report. Critical approach to the activities of the Besida government were suppressed. This has changed since, as media censorship by the authorities has largely been abolished, and self-censorship has significantly decreased.

Sports
Argee is the most popular sport in Alero. The Aleri national argee team, also known as “The Pelicans of Tanet”, have won numerous regional cups and championships. The premier argee league is the Raren Professional League. The main clubs are Hope of Raren, Sport Club of Tano, the Club Aleri, and the Khadrami-Aleri Argee Club. Other popular sports in Alero include handball, basketball, boxing, and tennis.