LoPaia

Lo'Paias national broadcaster is LBS (Lo'Paia Broadcasting Service).

Etymology
Lo'Paia has a very warm tropical climate, it is one of the few citystates in Natia and is the nation with one of the longest running elected governments in history, with the Paian National Party having governed since independence in 1972. The Name Lo'Paia derives from the historic city that was built on the Island centuries previous. Paia itself coming from the ancient word for 'holy' and Lo simply meaning 'the'.

The standard way to refer to a citizen of Lo'Paia is as a "Paian".

History
coming Soon

Geography
Lo’Paia is in the Rievs Du Soleil region of Natia. It is in the south of the region on the border of both Solentoya and MatiMati. Historically a lush tropical island with a small fishing city on it, nowadays a vast modern metropolis covers 80% of the island. The other 20% are protected reserves especially for preventing encroaching human development on wildlife. Many parks are also found across the city. The city is also very densely populated with around 8,463 per km2.

Climate
The tropical climate for Lo’Paia can make it a very hot and lush place, but also very wet. Especially in the Rainy seasons around December & January. The temperature stays consistent across the 20s and low 30s for most of the year, with it rarely peaking much higher or lower. Exposed to the ocean, Lo’Paia is usually in the path of sometimes quite ferocious Monsoons that sweep up from hotter oceans to the south.

Districts
Lo’paia is split up into 6 different districts, each with their own Police, fire and hospital precinct services. Populations vary greatly between these districts, however the entirety of the city is well connected across all districts with a subsidised modern highspeed underground metro systems, localised bus routes and a monorail that circles through Naier.

Paia
Population: 295,474

Paia is the old cultural hub of Lo’Paia. It is the original boundaries of the ‘old city’ and where the centre of governance is. A maze of tight streets, unique buildings and huge monuments much of the district is under a legal protective guarantee, that restricts growth and development in order to protect the aesthetic, historic and cultural heritage of the buildings there as well as pedestrianising many of the areas to make them better for walking. The central park of Paia, containing Paia Zoo stretches across almost 1/4 of the entire district and is interwoven into other parks around the district. House prices are amongst some of the highest in the entire city, with the unique townhouses being some of the most expensive in all of Natia.

Naier

Population: 661,754

Naier is the economic and financial hub of Lo’Paia. It is dominated by modern architecture, sprawling skyscrapers, open plazas, parks & wide avenues. It is the largest, and most expensive of all districts, and despite being the most populated, most of the residents are non-native Paians usually made up of foreign residents of business executives and super rich elites. Aside from the beach resort of Ethana and the old city, the modern towering architecture of the district make it a huge tourist trap with some of it's iconic buildings bringing in visitors far and wide. It's the part of the city that never sleeps, with Naier arguably being at its most beautiful at night. It sits on the main bay of the island around the Naier marina.

Carran
Population: 575,694

The Paian industry and the Port of Paia make up a sizeable chunk of the district, with industry being the main running economic driver. Carran residents are almost entirely Paian natives who reside in vast apartment blocks. Historically the district has trailed the others in terms of quality of life, average wage, education levels and so on, however huge redevelopments over the past decade have brought most of the district in line with the current modern aesthetic with heavily improving standards of living. Local activist groups have claimed such redevelopments have started to 'gentrify' the district by driving up housing prices, putting them out the reach of locals by attracting foreign and out-of-district buyers.

Stroa Galia, Astana & Precoria
Population: 1,326,384

The last 3 districts of Lo’Paia are all primarily residential districts made up of suburban condo complexes, apartment towers and new constantly growing new developments; Very little single family homes exist in Lo’Paia given the small island and level of density. Precoria however, is the location of Fauborg Boulevard which is one of the most famous and expensive streets in country which is lined with large mansions and a gated entrance, as well as the fashion high street of Dolenciaga Avenue. The beach resort of Ethana (a series of artificially maintained Palm lined beaches) makes up one of the biggest parks of the city which is found across the boundary of Stroa Galia and Astana.

Demographics
Lo’Paia is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse countries in all Natia, as well as the country with the highest foreign population. Native Paians make up 63% of the official population, Solentoyan and Swedish diaspora from Solentoya & Mati Mati making almost a ¼ alone. One problem facing Lo’Paia is an increasingly aging population and a low birth rate – with cost of living cited as one of the major reasons.

Language
Lo’Paia has numerous official languages which include Paian, Solish, Swedish, English & Halitosian. Paian itself is a hybrid of Solish and Swedish which makes it interchangeable in most cases with both languages. Paian is taught as a mandatory language in school since 2004, however most households continue to speak either Solish, Swedish or English at home – with business conducted in Solish. The majority of Paians and other diaspora are typically bilingual.

Religion
Lo’Paia has no official state religion, with the constitution and apparatus of governance all free of religious symbols and wording. A plurality of people are affiliated with no religion at all, however the majority follow either Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism or Islam. Despite this a majority state they do not attend service at all or do so very rarely. Religious holidays are not considered compulsory national holidays, however accommodations through the law are set aside for people who follow these holidays either religiously or culturally.

Education
Children of Lo’Paia are expected to attend full time education from the ages of 5 to 18. This works in multiple ways. Either through a 2 tier system where children attend a primary school (5 to 11 years) and then to a Secondary school with Sixth Form (11 to 18), or in a 3 tier system where children leave Secondary education at 16, but continue on at a college or go into an apprenticeship. After the age of 18 when children legally become adults they’re free to continue or cease education, however it is highly encouraged with subsided studies and financial grants. Lo’Paia is also home to a large foreign student population, with 44% of all university places taken by foreign students.

Government
Lo’Paia is a Parliamentary Republic. The Paian political system operates under the framework of the 1972 ratified constitution created upon independence. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, with changes requiring a two thirds majority, presidential & Supreme Judicial assent. The President is head of state and exercises executive power on the advice of his or hers ministers. The Premier is appointed by the President as the person most likely to command the confidence of a majority of the legislature and is themselves responsible for forming a cabinet of ministers.

The government is separated into 3 branches.


 * Executive: The president is commander-in-chief of the military, can veto laws before they become effective and holds limited discretionary powers of oversight over the government. The Premier and cabinet ministers are responsible for administering and enforcing laws.


 * Legislative: The unicameral Parliament enacts national law, approves budgets and provides checks and balances on government policy.


 * Judiciary: The Supreme Court and State Court, whose judges are appointed by the president are responsible for adjudicating disputes between people, interpreting the law and overturning what is considered unconstitutional. Currently 7 top judges make up the Supreme Court of Lo’Paia. These judges are not term limited, however they must retire by the age of 75.

Electoral system
The president is elected through a popular vote for 5 year terms, a candidate must get at least 50% of the vote or a 2nd round between the top 2 is required. Requirements for the office of President is quite strict, only Native Paians or those who have been naturalised residents for at least 10 years can run. They must be at least 40 years old and have held office for a minimum of 3 years in a public leadership role or have experience as a chief executive of a fully profitable private sector company with at least P§500 milion in shareholders equity and must not have a criminal record of any sort. Notably 2021 Progressive candidate was ineligible to assume office should he have won as he was younger than 40, never been a chief executive or been in office for more than 3 years. The ministers are elected in 90 single member constituencies for 5 year terms through a popular vote. Just like the presidential candidate, ministers must gain at least 50% of the vote in their seat or head to a runoff. There are also laws to enforce minority representation through a required quota system based on religious or cultural background.

Since it’s independence, The Paian National Party has won a majority in every single legislative election and won every presidential election, making it one of Natias most successful political parties ever.