Republic of Ambundia
| Republic of Ambundia Republika ya Mbundu (East Ambundian) Republika ya Mbundu (West Ambundian) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Capital and largest city | Okuvengela |
| Government type | Authoritarian one-party Labourist republic |
| Currency | Ambundian Ociva (♒︎) |
| Ideology | Labourism, Pan-Zanobianism |
| Politics | |
| Leader (head of state) | Esoko Vunge |
| Great People's Representative (head of government) | Antonio Kiala |
| Legislature | National People's Assembly (unicameral) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 76,881,562 |
| Demonym(s) | Ambundian(s) |
| Language(s) | East Ambundian (official) West Ambundian (official) |
| Religion(s) | • Canonical Soterianity (majority) • Presynaitic Soterianity (significant minority) • Eastern Uniform Church of Ambundia • Folk Soterianity (minority) • Ambundian pantheon (minority) • Irreligious (minority) • other minor cults and folk religions |
The Republic of Ambundia is a unitary labourist republic situated on the western coast of Zanobia, bordered by Eningui to the south, Kulembe to the east and Bungo to the north. Located along the Zanobian Maw alongside Bungo, Ambundia holds a vice grip on central Zanobian riverine trade. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of goods pass through the Gates of Zanobia, a system of canals located along the isthmi of the Ambundian Great Lakes, facilitating exports and imports. Due to these factors, Ambundia is a key ally of the Commonwealth, hosting a significant and permanent Quisquellan military presence to deter Eninguian aggression.
History
Prior to the Rational Era, Ambundia was the Kingdom of Ambundia, a client state of the broader Viratian - and subsequent Volscian - empire, dominated by the coast and the West Ambundians, exporting goods and paying yearly tribute to the crown. In return for servitude, the Kingdom of Ambundia enjoyed extensive infrastructural, economic and political investment. While itself not a member of the International Avant-Garde, it would enter the conflict alongside Volscia, obligated by its status. Ambundia's participation, while minimal, would lead to the Allied Nations invading and occupying littoral Ambundia in 967 S.C. These events, paired with the general political and economic turmoil following the Twilight War, as well as long-term dissatisfaction towards Northern dominance from the more numerous Southerners, would significantly deligitimize the Ambundian monarchy and pave the way to rebellion.
The Ambundian People's Movement (Okwama kwa Omanu wa Mbundu) was founded by Dr. Manuel Esisi in 0002 R.C., following the crushing of a nationwide agro-workers' strike three years prior. Built on a labourist ideology, the movement also defined itself through a nationalistic, populist platform, holding the monarchy responsible for centuries of foreign subjugation. From 0002 to 0009 R.C., the Ambundian Civil War saw the south and east of the country become bastions for the APM, while royalist forces maintained a firm grip on the coastline, backed by the Coalition. Coalition support remained limited by postwar reluctance for conflict, eventually leading to the liberation of Okuvengela on April 24 of 0009 R.C.
The nascent republic embarked on widespread campaigns of infrastructure and expanding literacy, aiming to build a proletarian Ambundian identity. While relations with neighboring Bungo were initially cold, Coalition encroachment into central Zanobia following the Zanobian Crash led to a political detente, both states leveraging their position in the Zanobian Maw to gain a decisive vice grip on riverine trade. This cooperation would culminate in the construction of the Gates of Zanobia, a network of canals connecting the Ambundian Great Lakes to the Hyperian Ocean. Ambundia's relative order and stability allowed it to flourish on effective economic policymaking, its GDP per capita being one of the highest in the region alongside Bungo.
Threatened by growing Coalition and Union State involvement in Zanobian proxy wars, Ambundia would find partnership and similar ideological cause in Quisquella, a member-state of the Commonwealth. Since its foundation in 0071 R.C., the Quisquellan-Ambundian alliance has served as a strategic partnership connecting Ambundia to the broader Commonwealth, acting as a deterrent for Eninguian attempts to export its ideology.