Kiri

Kiri, (: Kiri gurun), officially the Republic of Kiri (Culu:  Kiri gunghego), is a landlocked country in West Yoju. It borders Sora to the west, Norikwhum to the east, and Barthia to the south. With an area of 18,938 km², it is the smallest country in the region, and with a GDP per capita of over $30,000, it is also the wealthiest on a per-capita basis.

Kiri was historically inhabited by various groups, with a large  population by the end of the 8th century CE. The region came under control of Nukigurun in 1651. After a rebellion in 1682, Nukigurun decided to send a large contingent of bannermen to permanently live in West Yoju. Among these were the Culu people, a group under the Nuki banner system, who were almost entirely uprooted from their homeland in Eastern Nukigurun and relocated to the Kiri River Valley in order to guard the empire's frontier and put down any local rebellions. After arriving in Kiri, the Culu prospered and became among the most prosperous groups in Nukigurun's empire, and for over two-and-a-half centuries, the Culu largely lived as small-scale farmers under Nuki rule. They also traded and interacted extensively in the general region. However, this prosperity came at the expense of displacing and oppressing existing native groups such as the.

When Barthia gained independence from Nukigurun following the conclusion of the Eulhae War, Kiri immediately declared its own independence from the Barthian government, easily defeating its military and seizing the Baisa Highlands; Kiri's following expulsion of many ethnic Barthians from its territory, and its occupation and subsequent annexation of the Baisa Highlands remain contentious issues today.

Today, Kiri is a  divided into 13 prefectures and one special municipality. It is a member of the Congress of Nations and the X. It ranks among the world's top countries in research and development spending by GDP percentage, innovativeness, and happiness.

Etymology
The name Kiri comes from the Barthian name of a local river of the same name.

Prehistory
Human remains found in Kiri have been radiocarbon dated to be as old as 30,000 years old. Agriculture first arrived from the east around the 5th millennium BCE, with the spread of crops such as wheat and millet. It was during this time that permanent settlements first appear in the record.

Great March and Initial Arrival


The Culu had historically been a group distinct from the Nukis, and after coming under their rule, were incorporated into the Nuki banner system. While it is assumed that the Culu initially did not speak Nuki, they were doing so by the time of their relocation to Kiri in 1681. That year, the Šijen Emperor ordered the relocation of the Culu to West Yoju in order to guard the empire's frontiers. The Culu were not the only group that were relocated to West Yoju, as many Nukis also followed, but the Culu were the largest group and also unique in that their people were uprooted almost wholesale.

Out of around 120,000 who began the journey, only 80,000 were left by the time of their arrival in the region in 1683. There, the Culu were given fertile land to own and farm themselves, and many were also provided with local serfs.

Culu domination under Nuki rule
Farming the highly productive land of the Kiri River Valley, the Culu population rapidly expanded and soon came to be among the most prosperous groups in Tiandi, even wealthier than most ethnic Nukis, many of whom languished as serfs. Analysis of remains indicate that the average Culu man had grown an average of 10 centimeters taller between 1650 and 1800.

The Culu had a wide array of economic fortunes. While the vast majority of them were smallholding farmers at the onset of their arrival, some grew to have much larger estates, while others ended up landless and serfs of other Culu. Nonetheless, membership within the banner system meant that Culu serfs nonetheless received much better treatment and benefits than local serfs.

The Culu were also legally forbidden from marrying anyone outside of a banner, thus forbidding them from marrying any of the native peoples. However, it was common for Culu men to take on local women as lovers or unofficial secondary wives, although anyone born of such a union was not to be considered to be Culu or part of the Nuki banner system. Nonetheless, Culu occasionally adopted their children from such partnerships as their official children; this tended to be more common when the mother was already partly of Culu or Nuki descent. Today, roughly half of the Barthian population of Kiri is estimated to have some Culu admixture, and about 80% of Culu some West Yojuan admixture, with an average of 14% and 5% respectively.

The Culu's prosperity came at the expense of the native peoples, who were either displaced or made serfs by Nukigurun. Native groups such as the Barthians were forbidden from owning land, instead working on large Culu estates and retaining little of what they produced. Many were also serfs of the local Culu and Nukis. Uprisings by the native peoples were brutally oppressed by the empire, with the complete destruction of local villages often done in retaliation for large-scale rebellions.

While the abolition of serfdom in 1869 was initially of great concern to many Culu, this ultimately proved to have relatively little effect on the serf-holding class as most serfs continued to work as sharecroppers on the land in which they worked, and native West Yojuan workers quickly came to replace the primarily Culu serfs who moved to urban areas all across West Yoju.

Culu bannermen participated extensively in the West Yoju front of the Great Eulhae War.

Independence and modern era


When Barthia was given independence from Nukigurun in the aftermath of the Great Eulhae War, Culu military leaders immediately declared independence as the Republic of Kiri, sparking the Kirian War of Independence. The Culu easily defeated the unprepared and largely unorganized Barthian army, and during the war also seized the Baisa Highlands, an area traditionally not part of Kiri Province. The war and its aftermath saw the expulsion of ethnic Barthians, particularly from the Baisa Highlands, control over which was seen as key to Kiri's national security.

Shortly after the Baisa Highlands were seized, ethnic Culu began to settle the area, a move which was condemned internationally but tacitly approved by the Kirian government. Ethnic Barthians suffered significant hardship in the immediate aftermath of the war, with many community leaders and individuals arrested without any official reasoning. They were forbidden from holding any public sector job until 1977 and were not allowed to join the military until 1990, preventing most from voting, as Kirian law has military service as a prerequisite to voting for male citizens.

In 1998, the the Baisa Highlands were formally annexed, in a move which was again widely condemned.

The 2000s saw the beginning of increased migration as the country began to loosen its immigration laws. This move was criticized as being a way for the Kirian government to reduce the ethnic Barthian population of the country and diluting their influence.

In 2020, Ciošuri Morgon of the conservative Fatherland Party was elected to the presidency. Among his promises was a pledge to scale back the welfare state, which is seen by many Culu as a transfer of funds from the Culu to Barthians, who receive a disproportionate amount of funds due to having higher rates of joblessness and poverty.

Geography
Much of Kiri is flat with the excdption of the Baisa Highlands.

Foreign relations
Kiri maintains friendly relations with Jeongmi, Nukigurun, and Sora. Relations with Barthia are tense due to the ongoing controversy regarding the Baisa Highlands.

Military
The armed forces of Kiri are divided into two branches composed of the Kirian Army and Kirian Airforce, although the country maintains a which operates under the army. The President of Kiri appoints the Minister of Defense and also holds the title of. In 2018, Kiri spent $3.3 billion on military expenditures, representing 4.1% of GDP.

All Kirian men are required to serve in the armed forces for a period of a year and a half. Initially, this law did not extend to those whose family could not trace its roots back to a banner, as one was prevented from serving at all if so, but this law was lifted in 1990.

Economy
Kiri possesses a. The country possesses a generous welfare system, modern infrastructure, and a well-developed high-tech sector.

Agriculture
Modern agriculture in Kiri is dominated by large-scale Culu-run farms. Kiri exports much of its food to the rest of West Yoju.

Demographics
Ethnic Culu make up the majority of Kiri's population at 70.2%, with the largest minority being ethnic Barthians at 24.1%. Kiri has a relatively large number of illegal migrants from the rest of West Yoju, being an attractive destination due to its high living standards and wages. The (TFR) stands below replacement rate at 1.82 children born per woman, with the rate higher among ethnic Barthians compared to ethnic Culu.

Language
The official language of Kiri is, a language that is mutually intelligible with  and written with the , a variation of the. It is spoken as a first language by 77.2% of the population. is the second most common with 19.6% speaking it as their first langauge.

is taught at all schools from primary school onward, and many Kirians have a high degree of ability in the language.

Health
Kiri has a system of.

Culture
Traditional Culu society was divided into male-led clans called hala in which men shared the same surname. Traditional attire included short-buttoned jackets and trousers for men, and close-fitting, long, and lace-trimmed gowns for women. was common among the Culu, changing only during the latter half of the 20th century.

Cuisine


Kirian cuisine represents heavy influences from both the eastern and western ends of Yoju. It is based primarily on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, and staples such as rice, bread, and noodles. With the origins of the Culu in Eastern Nukigurun, the prominence of meat is well apparent in Kirian cuisine. Popular meats include beef, horse, pork, mutton, chicken, and fish.

The national dish of the country is, a spicy meat stew which incorporates both Culu and West Yoju ingredients and cooking styles. Other popular dishes include hot pot, kebab, and fergese, a meat dish cooked with peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cheese.

, a local spice, features heavily in Kirian cuisine.