Machlud

Machlud (/ˈmaχlɨːd/), (/ˈmaxlɪd/), known formally as the Republic of Machlud (: Gweriniaeth y Machlud, : República do Maglid), is a country in Naurussia. With 18,289,193 inhabitants in 202q, it is one of the populated countries in Helios. A historic military power, Machlud exerts great influence from beyond its borders as a result of its former colonial empire. The main working language of Ouisquinipi is, but , the most-spoken other language, is officially recognised as well, while other minority languages such as , and enjoy federal protection, even if the latter two have very small numbers of speakers within the country.

The country is highly federalised, with no regions receiving any kind of autonomy from the central government, which maintains a high degree of control over the citizen's lives. The country has been accused of various human rights violations, and is known be extremely hostile towards freedom of the press in particular.

Etymology
Machlud refers to the sunset, which happens often in the country. "Machlud" is for "sunset".

History
Humans have inhabited the area around Machlud for millennia, with various historic artefacts being found in archaeological sites within the country. Only after the amalgamation of various tribes and clansmen in 1184, however, did Machlud begin to exist as a concept. Early pioneers in the nation's history helped cement its status as a major naval power, and by the 17th century had established colonies throughout the continent, and Helios as a whole.

Machlud's empire soon declined, however, as its repressive colonial leaders were known to be susceptible to countless slave uprising, and incompetent military strategy forced the nation to return to its homeland. Even today, the government maintains high military spending in the vain hope to return to these ill-defined "glory days" that in fact provided only some of the most humiliating moments in Machlud's history.

At the turn of the 20th century, the monarchy declined in influence and a presidential republic was soon formed, albeit with an iron grasp on personal freedoms. After a brief communist revolution, the republic morphed into a right-wing quasi-fascist dictatorship which many scholars observe has still yet to fall: it has merely softened its image over time, although many in Helios still refer to Machlud as a failed state.

Geography & Economy
A mountainous nation, Machlud possesses large reserves of natural gas and raw materials such as iron, copper and bauxite. These help to sustain the export-oriented economy, although the wealth generated by these resources is distributed unevenly, and despite the government providing free gas to all citizens, up to 15% of the population still lives below the poverty line.

Politics
Political corruption has been described as "rampant", with President Glyn Cadogan enjoying almost absolute power since winning a heavily disputed election in 2007. Only 3 elections have ever taken place in Machlud: in 1923, 2007 and the most recent in 2017. There is only one political party with federal recognition: the Machlud Citizen's Rally (Cynulliad Dinasyddion Machlud, CDM) and opposition is routinely cracked down by the state-backed secret police.