The Banat


 * This country is a part of Altverse.

The Banat, officially known as the Principality of the Banat (Banat German: Fürstentum Banat), is a  that consists of the regions  and. An, it is comprised of four ; each labeled as a. The Banat is one of three remaining in Europe, along with  and  and is the largest remaining one.

Etymology
Most Banatians choose to refer to their country as simply Banat, but in formal occassions, it is referred to as Banaterstaat ; meanwhile, they refer to themselves by their nationality and language.

The term Banat emanates from the term of Avar origin Banat, which refers to the territory ruled by a ban, a type of Slavic nobility. The term was first used in the region to name the Banate of Severin, which included parts of the Banate. The name officially became an administration name for the entire region after it's conquest by the Austrians.

Avar and Bulgar Rule
The Avars under Khagan Bayan I took control over the territory of the Banat with Roman support. Wars between the two powers were fought on Banatian soil. However, not much is known of the history at that time.

Battles were fought on the Banat during the Frankish-Avar war. However, the region came under the Bulgarian Empire after the

Magyar Conquest
The territory of the Banat was under the rule of the duke, while the Batschka was ruled by Salan. When the Magyar tribes under Árpád conquered the Carpathian basin, they fought fiercely against local rulers, vassals of the Bulgarian Empire.

Salan's duchy fell first, after a great battle between the Magyar tribes and the defending Bulgarian forces with Roman support. Glad, however, fought a fierce battle against the Magyars. His army of Pechenegs, Bulgarians and Vlachs fought at the Ford of Föen, but the battle was lost to the Magyar warlords Zovárd and Kadocsa. Glad retreated to the great fortress of Kubin and tried to rally troops, but a siege cut this short and he surrendered, accepting vassal status under the Magyars of Árpád.

Geography
The Banat is a mainly flat land. It is bordered by to the north,  to the east,  to the west, and  to the south. The Banat has an area of 38,885 km² (15,123 sq. mi.)

The highest point in the Banat is Mt. Kahlan; located in the, it measures up to 2,186 meters (7171 feet) above sea level. The longest river is the which runs between historical Banat and Batschka and on the South-Western and Southern border. The largest lake is Lake Ferde, with a surface of 460 hectars. The Banat is dominated by plains, with the notable exemption of Karasch-Severin (which is dominated by mountains and high plains). The mountains have a high amount of zinc, iron, nickel, copper, tin and coal. The city of Reschitz is a steelworker's paradise, with most steelworking companies based there.

Government and politics
The Banat features a. The monarch is the head of state, but wields little actual political power and serves more as a ceremonial figurehead, whose role is to embody the Banatian citizens. The majority of real political power is held by the, who also leads the ; he or she is appointed by the monarch, but designated by people through a popular vote. Although the monarch appoints the Premier, its constitution explicitly states the monarch must appoint whoever the majority of voters designated in the elections.

The Banate's is the National Diet, seated in the capital city of Temeschburg. The National Diet is, consisting of two chambers; the Senate (with five elected from every constituent state) and the National Congress (a total of 300 seats). The members of the National Diet are elected through popular vote, and is dissolved once every six years. All adults eighteen and above have, with a for all elected offices. All members of the government, excluding the monarchy, are elected by the people of Banat.

The is headed by the Supreme Court of the Banat; while it is the highest court in the country, it only has appellate jurisdiction over appeals cases relating to general and criminal law. The Constitutional Court of the Banat has original jurisdiction surrounding any cases that involve constitutionality, having also additional powers on deciding cases regarding administrative law.

Monarchy
Being a constitutional monarchy, the Banat has a that assumes the role as the. Asides from practicing powers associated with the, the Banatian monarchy maintain a marginal role in every-day politics, making them mostly rather than actual leaders, a role assumed by the Premier. Wielding the diadema, the Banatian monarchy also represents the embodiment of the Banatian citizens.

The of the Banat is the House of von der Bellen, which was established in 1801 by Johann van der Bellen, a man of Dutch descent,as a noble family around Pskov, in Tsarist Russia. They were invited to become the princely family of the Banat due to the need of a new monarch for the new principality. They were sent into exile during the, as the von der Bellens were ousted and sent into exile in the Kingdom of Sierra during the time of the Socialist Republic of Banat. They were restored in 1990, with Johann I von der Bellen crowned as new king.

Political parties
The Banat is best described as a, currently dominated by the , Conservative Party since the liberation, with the Socialist Party as coalition members. The coalition is largely conservative, but also very tolerant to other minorities.

Recently however, the refugee crisis has affected the Banat and it has taken part in the blocking of the Balkan route project along with Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Hungary and Austria. The third largest party in Banat is the Freedom Party of Banat. while the fourth largest party is the Forward Banat, which advocates for and fairness is politics.

Administrative divisions of the Banat
The Banat is divided into four (Kantone). These are further divided into (Bezirke) and  (Freistädte). These are further divided into (Gemeinden).

Each is led by the, and he or she is tasked with enforcing both national and local law in their canton. Meanwhile, and component cities are led by the lead chairmen, which is the highest rank in the municipal council. As the Banat is a, cantons enjoy partial autonomy in internal affairs and decisions. This autonomy is rather large, but is restricted in some measures by the government.

Military
The Banat wields the ?-most powerful military in the world according to the. The Banat spends annually about ~0.7 of its on the military.

The Ministry of Defense and Public Security is responsible for the coordination of The Banat's defence and military capabilities, and is based in the Burg district of Temeschburg. The armed forces of the Banat is divided into three branches; the National Banatian Army, the National Banatian Air Force and the National Banatian River Guard, all of which are collectively known as the Banatian Princely Armed Forces.

Military service is mandatory for all males from age 18, where they are drafted into the military for 9 months. Those who are unable to serve or refuse to train militarily may take part in civil service, where they do tasks to help the populace.

Women's rights
Females historically had not been given equal rights, but universal suffrage has happened in the 1930's.

Foreign relations
The Banat holds political neutrality and doesn't ally with many nations. The EU is the only major political organization it is part of.

Economy
The Banat has a partially   and is the ? economy in the world. Sierra has a GDP of $? and ranks ? in the world in nominal GDP per capita. A  with a, the Banat is one of the most industrialized nations in .

The Princely Bank of the Banat serves as the Banat's  and is charged with the responsibility of issuing coins and notes of the national currency, the Euro, along with the other members of the EU. The euro is the second largest  behind the British.

The leading exports of the Banat include  and , ,  and . Sierra has been largely responsible for the economic boom in the country, with the investment making them one of the richer countries in Europe and making the Neussatz region known as the Silicon Valley of Europe. Tourism is particularly strong in the capital region, Karasch-Severin (mountains, lakes, hiking), Batschka and the region around Neubetschkerek  is one of the Banat's strongest sectors, being coloquially called the 'breadbasket of Europe' with its exported produce, products being , , , , , , , and. The Central and Western areas are the primary centers for all Banatian agricultural products with its fertile flatland and favorable weather conditions. The small town of  is renowned for its  and is the top producer in grape products in the region. ,, and  are among livestock and game products that the Banat exports. is the Banat's top dairy product followed by ,  and

Population
The 2011 Banat Princely Bureau of Census officially counted 4,783,431 Banatians. On November 1, 2016, the Census estimated that 4,950,431 people were living in the Banat—an estimation consistent with the continual positive population growth Banat has experienced in recent years due to immigration from Serbia and Romania.

The main source of immigrants have consistently come from Romania and Serbia. Others have also come from FYROM and Bulgaria. These immigrants have continued in lieu of the domestic workforce to meet the ongoing demand for more jobs in technology, medicine, and science.

Language
German (Banat German),, and  are the  at the federal level. All of the official languages are mentioned explicitly on the Constitution's Section IV of Article and receives an implied preference of usage in the Constitution.

All of the official language are recognized as languages with at least over 5% of Banatians using it at home. According to the 2010 census 40.7% of Banatians over the age of 5 spoke only or predominantly German at home. Romanian is the second most common language and is also the most taught school language in the Banat. Foreign language classes featuring the other official languages are also offered at all Banatian public school districts.

By default, despite there being four official languages, most government buildings, documents, and signs use only German, which is the lingua franca. This can be better observed in racial-specific majority areas or ethnic enclaves where a particular language is more prevalent. Subsection II of Article I, Section IV states that any level of government may use any of the official languages for official use so long as it reflects the area's linguistic community and that it include one other language, preferably German of the "Banatian variant". Regardless, as mandated by federal statute, all said government-operated facilities must provide a written translation in each of the official language and/or an active duty translator with fluent knowledge to the respective language. For that reason, the translation and language learning industry has been strong due to popular and legal demand. In addition, Subsection II of Article I, Section IV states that the government shall provide translations of official documents to citizens who do not understand any of the official languages fluently.

Other commonly spoken languages that do not have official status include, , , , , and.

Religion
The Banatian Constitution guarantees the of  and forbids Parliament from passing any law promoting religious law. has been the most practiced religion in Sierra since its founding with  claiming the most adherents. In spite of this, weekly church attendance has been declining since the communist regime and currently stands at 56%. has been growing particularly among younger Banatians although the actual percentage of Sierrans openly labeling themselves as "" or "" is at 9%.

Catholics remains the largest group in the Banate, Roman and Greek Catholic. The largest Christian non-Catholic denomination is at 24.15%.

is the largest non-Christian religion with 1.2% with the next 3.8 constituting (1.3%),  (1.1%), and  (0.9%). There also exists a diverse number of religious communities of minute populations: for example   or

Religion has influenced the Banat which has held a strong Catholic tradition. Although the government cannot pass any religious laws, the government has on many occasions been influenced or pressured by religious organizations and groups.

In regard towards the military, religious observers can opt to be a in times of a  and serve as a  in the forces. Such claims are taken seriously and rigorous background checks help determine whether an individual may receive such status.

While the Parliament of the Banat is constitutionally prevented from restricting the practice of religion, it does have the power to restrict religious activity that would violate the constitution or law such as and. It also can deem whether or not an organization claiming religious status can be eligible for.

Family structure and law
In 2014, 73% of Banatians over the age of 25 were married or, 1% were , 8% were , and the rest have never married or been involved in a long-term relationship. and the are two important concepts which are deeply rooted into Banatian culture. Until contemporary times, marriage was defined a union between a man and a woman. Since at least the 2000s, this view has been challenged by pro-LGBT activists who helped push towards greater cultural acceptance in the Banat. Divorce is deeply frowned upon and discouraged in traditional Banatian culture although divorce rates have steadily rose to affecting 20 out of 100 marriages in 2014.

According to the 2010 census, same-sex marriages accounted for 1.2% of all marriages in the Banat. Same-sex marriages are legally recognized in all cantons. Marriage between is legal and  is illegal in all of the cantons although  are either non-existent or unenforced. Similarly, is forbidden in all provinces. is criminalized in all provinces and the distribution, ownership, or creation of such material is considered a at the federal law.

The legalization of cannabis has been a debate in the country. The liberal and progressive fronts advocate it's legalization, but conservatives point to the cannabis tourism in the Netherlands as being 'not productive'. Currently, cannabis is decriminalized and legal for medical and spiritual purposes.

Cuisine
Banatian cuisine is a mix of Serbian, Romanian, German and Hungarian cuisine. Banatian cuisine emphasises the freshness of ingredients and cooking skill of the chef. enjoys status as the staple grain and make up the basis of a Banatian diet. ,, , and are the most used meats, but Banatian cuisine readily makes use of any edible meats; including , ,  and. such as, , and are frequently consumed raw and are only sometimes added into dishes, while  are typically eaten boiled or stewed.

Seasoning is used heavily to add additional flavour, for example, is used heavily in many dishes, while  are used heavily in spicy dishes. Other seasoning (not including spices) include, , , , , and. Spices that are commonly used are, and. With the exception of, which is used merely as , there is little to no usage of.