Armazia

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Armazism City-State
არმაზიზმის ქალაქ-სახელმწიფო
armazizmis kalak-sakhelmtsipo
Flag of Armazia Symbol of Armazism
Flag Symbol
Motto: ძიება სიმართლე
"Seek the Truth"
Location of Armazia in Adonia
CapitalThe Citadel (ციტადელი)
Largest city (same as above)
Official languages none de jure; Kartvelian de facto
Religion Armazism
Demonym Armazist
Government Theocratic elective monarchy
 -  Matriarch Salome
Legislature Chamber of Bishops
History
 -  Construction of The Citadel 708 
 -  ??? Treaty ???? 
 -  Independence of Varkana 1759 
Area
 -  Total 0.97 km2
0.37 sq mi
Population
 -  estimate 444
 -  Density 457.73/km2
1,200/sq mi
Currency Lari (ლ) (VAL)
Time zone TBC
Date format dd.mm.yyyy CE
Drives on the right
Calling code +44
Internet TLD .az

Armazia (Kartvelian: არმაზიზმის ქალაქ-სახელმწიფო, armazizmis kalak-sakhelmtsipo; literally the Armazism City-State), commonly known as the Church of Varkana (Kartvelian: საქართველოს ეკლესიის, sakartvelos eklesiis), is a sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Matriarch. The highest state functionaries are all Armazist priests of various origins. It is located approximately one kilometer off Varkana's northern coast, at the mouth of the Alazani River northwest of the Rachuli commune. 100 hectares in size, the island has a population of 444. Within Armazia are cultural sites such as several temples, libraries and museums. They feature some of Adonia's most famous paintings and sculptures.

The independent city-state came into existence in DATE by the ??? Treaty between Varkana and Aetolia, thus preserving the religious integrity of Varkana despite its incorporation into Aetolia. According to the terms of the treaty, The Citadel has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" over the city-state. Internationally, Armazia is recognized as a dependent territory of the Republic of Varkana since 1759, only recognized as a sovereign state by Varkana, ?? and ??.

Geography[edit | edit source]

Formation[edit | edit source]

Now a rocky tidal island, in prehistoric times The Citadel was on dry land. As sea levels rose, erosion reshaped the coastal landscape, and several outcroppings of granite or granulite emerged in the bay, having resisted the wear and tear of the sea better than the surrounding rocks. The Citadel has a circumference of about 960 meters, and is 92 meters above sea level at its highest point.

Tides[edit | edit source]

The tides can vary greatly, at roughly 14 meters between high and low water marks. Popularly nicknamed "The Citadel in peril of the sea" by medieval pilgrims making their way across the flats, Armazia can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighboring coast.

Polderization and occasional flooding have created salt marsh meadows that were found to be ideally suited to grazing sheep. The well-flavored meat that results from the diet of the sheep in the salt meadow makes salt meadow lamb a local specialty that may be found on the menus of restaurants that depend on income from the many visitors to the city-state.

Tidal island[edit | edit source]

The connection between Armazia and mainland Varkana has changed over the centuries. Previously connected by a tidal causeway (a path uncovered only at low tide), this was converted into a raised (permanently dry) causeway in 1884, preventing the tide from scouring the silt around it. The coastal flats have also been polderized to create pastureland, decreasing the distance between the shore and the island, and the Alazani River has been canalized, reducing the dispersion of the flow of water. These factors have all encouraged silting-up of the bay.

On 16 June 2006, the Council of Ten and the late Matriarch announced a massive project to build a hydraulic dam using the waters of the Alazani River and the tides to help remove the accumulated silt, and to make Armazia an island again. The project's completion is scheduled for 2015. The construction of the dam began in 2009 and is now completed. The project also includes the removal of the causeway and its visitor car park. Since 28 April 2012 the new car park on the mainland has been in service, about 2.5 kilometers from the island. Visitors can walk or use shuttles to cross the causeway. On 22 July 2014, the new bridge by "German-speaking nation" architect Dietmar Feichtinger was opened to the public. The light bridge allows the waters to flow freely below and around the island improves the efficiency of the now operational dam.

Climate[edit | edit source]

Armazia has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), with mild, moderately wet winters and dry, warm summers. January is the coolest month with an average maximum of 15.6 °C and an average minimum of 6.2 °C. August is usually the warmest month, with an average maximum of 25.2 °C and an average minimum of 10.1 °C. The record maximum temperature was 38.9 °C on June 20, 2003. The record minimum was −2.8 °C, recorded on January 13, 2004. Average annual precipitation at The Citadel is 1,065 mm, with measurable precipitation falling on an average of 62 days each year. More than 70 percent of the rain falls from December through March, while the summer brings generally rainless conditions. Measurable snowfall is extremely rare, with the maximum monthly snowfall of only 2.5 cm recorded in December 1912. Fog is common in the morning, often making Armazia cooler than the rest of Varkana's coast.

History[edit | edit source]

Governance[edit | edit source]

Head of State[edit | edit source]

The Matriarch is ex officio head of state of Armazia, functions dependent on her primordial function as bishop of The Citadel. Matriarch Salome, born Inola Membertou in City, "New World", was elected on 14 June 2010.

Legislature[edit | edit source]

Legislative functions are delegated to the unicameral Chamber of Bishops, led by the Matriarch. Its members are bishops appointed by the Matriarch for life. Acts of the Chamber must be approved by the Matriarch, and before taking effect must be published in a special appendix of the Law of the Church. Most of the content of this appendix consists of routine executive decrees.

International recognition[edit | edit source]

Armazia defines itself as a sovereign state, and remains a partially recognized state even after centuries of existence. It is recognized by the Adonian Community as a dependent territory of Varkana, despite Varkana having no claim on The Citadel. Armazia nevertheless claims the whole planet as its sovereign territory, as protector of the Gods.

AC member states

  •  Varkana recognized Armazia in 1759 after its independence from Aetolia.

Partially recognized and unrecognized territories

  • TBC

Security and defense[edit | edit source]

The wider defense of the city-state is provided by Varkana. Armazia has no navy or air force, but on both a per-capita and per-area basis, Armazia has one of the largest military forces (100 guards for 444 people) and military presences in the world (22.5% of the population). Its guard includes a specialist unit which operates patrol and surveillance boats. This consists of a bodyguard unit for The Citadel's clergy and visiting tourists called the Tetri Guard, which is equipped with modern weapons, and which together with the militarized, armed fire and civil defense corps forms Armazia's total public forces.

The Faceless Men are also considered to be a sort of security agency of the city-state, internationally recognized as an Armazist secret society of assassins, thought without any concrete evidence of its existence. Matriarchs have never publicly disclosed anything related to the Faceless Men, but they have been around since 1102, according to various testimonies. Matriarch Salome also partially acknowledged their existence while answering questions in Klow, on 4 December 2014.

Economy[edit | edit source]

Transport[edit | edit source]

The only way around Armazia is on foot, and there are two gates into the walled city. The Gate of Light (კარიბჭე სინათლის), the main gate at the end of the bridge, leads straight to the Mtavari Street (მთავარი ქუჩა), which is packed chock-a-block with souvenir shops and tourists. Right up the stairs to the ramparts, which offer great views of the mudflats, the sea and the Varkan coast. The lesser-used Gate of Shadow (კარიბჭე ჩრდილი), to the left of the main gate, is the quietest route up. All three routes converge at the temples on top of the island.

Access to Armazia by road can be done through National Road მ36 from Rachuli to various parking lots in Varkana. From there, you can take shuttles to The Citadel passing on the newly built bridge. For air access, Rustavi International Airport is the main choice, some 70 kilometers to the southwest, which offers a wide range of destinations. Access from Varkana's major cities by Shesar is also planned for 2016.

Armazia has a digital telephone exchange supported by a fiber optic and copper infrastructure; the telephone operator Varkan Telecom also operates a GSM network. Internet connectivity is available across the fixed network. Armazia's top-level domain code is .az.

Demographics[edit | edit source]

Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Unlike citizenship of other states, which is based either on jus sanguinis (birth from a citizen, even outside the state's territory) or on jus soli (birth within the territory of the state), citizenship of Armazia is granted jus officii, namely on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of The Citadel. It usually ceases upon cessation of the appointment. Citizenship is exclusive solely to the appointed official and not their family. Armazia issues normal passports for its citizens, but they are only recognized in three nations.

Anyone who possesses the Armazist citizenship automatically becomes a Varkan citizen. As of 31 December 2014, there were, apart from the Matriarch herself, 443 people with Armazist citizenship, all of which are residents of the City-State. Of the 444 citizens, 88 are bishops, working but not necessarily living in The Citadel, while the 100 members of the Tetri Guard constituted 22.5% of the total, and there were 255 other lay persons with Armazist citizenship, mostly shop keepers, tour guides or museums or library staff. There are about fifty shops for 6 million tourists annually.

Culture[edit | edit source]

The library of the Church of Varkana is a major research library, holding around 180 million items from many countries, in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library's collections include around 15 million books, along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 4000 BC. It is the largest library in Adonia by number of items catalogued, and is located beneath the rock, under the temples. Even deeper are the Armazist Archives, the central repository for all of the acts promulgated by the Church of Varkana. The Matriarch, having primal incumbency until death or resignation, owns the archives until the next appointed Matriarchal successor. The archives also contain the state papers, correspondence, Matriarchal account books, and many other documents which The Citadel has accumulated over the centuries. The archives remain absolutely closed to outsiders except a few researchers, less than a hundred of whom now examine its documents each year. It is rumored that all the Armazist secrets, including the Faceless Men, are kept in the archives. People trying to access the archives are intercepted and banished forever from Armazia or killed on spot if they resist or succeed in accessing the archives illegally.

It is not uncommon for someone to die on the island, and as there is no place for any proper burial, nor any forest, the Armazist authorities simply toss the decease's corpse into the sea, which is a practice in Armazism that is popular in coastal villages.