Antigo

Antigo, officially the Socialist Republic of Antigo, often referred to by some nations as the Pretanic Faction State (of Antigo), Pretanic Antigo, Antigoan Pretany or Pretanic State of Antigo (abbreviated as PFS, PFS of Antigo or Antigo (PFS)), is a landlocked state in central Uletha. To its north and west, it is bordered by Pretany, with the heavily fortified Pretanic Demilitarised Zone separating the two states, while to its east and south it is bordered by Suria and Mazan respectively.

The Kingdom of Antigo is believed to have been formed in the 4th century BC, which ruled over what is currently Antigo and parts of Pretany and Mazan. After the Siege of Antigo, following conflicts of control over the trade routes in Antigo, Antigo is under Inaran rule, and later Pretanic rule from the 14th century onwards after the fall of Inara. In the 1930s, tensions between the Antigaon shires and the kingdom of Pretany escalated over the then king's controversial proposals to assimilate the Antigoans. Soon after the Antigoan Liberation War, Antigo was ruled by a provisional government under a monarchy which was shortly taken over by Antigoan socialists led by John Burkhanov. Under his rule, Antigo became known as a totalitarian dictatorship, claiming to be a self-reliant state following the key principles of Cuppa. From the 1990s, Antigo faced a severe famine that resulted in the deaths of many citizens, and the population continues to suffer malnutrition. Antigo is a country with one of the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve and paramilitary personnel. The nation is known to have possessed nuclear weapons and often gave empty threats to its neighbours.

The state is often infamous for its records of human rights abuses with 80% of the population living in abject poverty. Though repeatedly the state denies such allegations, it often promised the regime will change for the improvement of the people's lives. The capital of Antigo is Antigo City, while the largest is Kontroga.

Etymology
It is believed the name Antigo is taken from the phrase used to refer to the river flowing through the Antigoan region - the Antigo River - "Neuchkuchy Antigo Seubonn", which means "pure spring river". Up till the 5th century AD, the kingdom was called “Caddopan”, meaning “majestic land”, but the name “Antigo” has begun to emerge since the 1st century AD and formally adopted by King Eriban III. The name “Antigo” was subsequently recorded in the Great Works of Palast to refer to the region.

The official name of the state is (the) “Socialist Republic of Antigo”, which is rarely used outside of Antigo but used by state media and local publications. In its early years of establishment, it is often referred to by other nations as “Antigoan Pretany”, which means “the part of Pretany (that is) under Antigoan control”. However, Pretany and many organisations often referred the state as the “Pretanic Faction State (of Antigo)” or simply “Pretanic Antigo”, to assert Pretany’s sovereignty over the region occupied by Antigoans. Due to diplomatic pressure, Antigo often uses “Antigoan Pretany” or “Pretanic Antigo” as its name when participating in international forums and organizations.

Antigoan Kingdom
Not much is known how or when exactly the kingdom was established. According to Antigoan traditions, it has been established since 500 BCE after an alliance was established by the various clans. At the time of establishment, Kessetouralik was the capital of the kingdom. Under King Tikamich Galijik in 350 BCE, the kingdom rapidly developed and invested much effort into turning the arid parched lands of central Antigo into a rice granary, successfully building/enlarging weirs and canals, mainly around the Kuyak and Kontroga duchies. Cuppa was later embraced by Tikwunu Galijik in 320 BCE.

Tikuwu was followed by a line of able kings who cemented Antigo's place in history. Antigo entered a gilded age that would last for the next two centuries. Aside from a few occasional rebellions and assassinations, the kingdom was largely peaceful during the period. Administrative and economic systems were standardised, and later kings such as Helus Aschish actively expanded frontier colonies and built new irrigation systems throughout the kingdom. Under Kernolius Aschish, with the help of several mathematicians, introduced standardised weights and measures throughout the country to assist administration as well as trade. The standardisation provided an impetus for the monetisation of the Antigoan economy, the full impact of which however would not be felt until later in the mid-first century BC. The kingdom prospered from the increased agricultural output as well as from inland trading networks. Much of the wealth was devoted to temple building. Cuppa grew in prominence and practised throughout the kingdom, and later child sacrifice was introduced which became integral in Cuppa traditions. Temple building projects, which began in earnest during Werezgen Aschish's reign, became increasingly grandiose and began to transition into a distinctively Antigoan architectural style from earlier Mazanic norms. By the end of Aschish and Narduk Dynasty, Antigo enjoyed a more synthesised culture, an efficient government and a prosperous economy.

However, under the reign of Narduk IV in 110 BCE, he decided to limit Cuppa practices to improve trade relations with other kingdoms after previous diplomats and kings of other nations were appalled by its 'barbaric practices'. Dissatisfied with the restrictions imposed, several underground Cuppa followers eventually overthrew him and formed what is known as the theocratic era. The Kingdom started a period of isolation from the Mazan empire until King Tereb decided to re-open up the kingdom in 23 AD. The kingdom later started expanding into Mazan under Tereb IV in 149 AD, expanding as far to today's Castellan. However, this expansion was short-lived in 220 AD after the natives in the occupied territories rebelled and hence the kingdom lost its control over its expanded territories.

From that point up till the 4th century AD, Antigo undergoes a relative time of peace but stagnated as the kings are just interested in maintaining the status quo, fearing to lose the kingdom altogether. The kingdom began to reinstate its isolationist policies and known to be aggressive to outsiders as well, even having a few border incidences with its neighbours. Due to its strong isolationist policies, foreigners and wanderers were not welcome to stay but for only a short time in the kingdom, and many went missing, which kept the rest of the continent virtually blind to the peoples and lands that extended beyond the Egyt mountains. This was demonstrated in the treatment of the Kalmish people in the Kalmish Expedition into Antigo in 320 AD when the missionaries were kidnapped and taken back to the kingdom's capital (then Savanna Avay), kept alive only to face the Antigoan king Kiashur Kesmi II for information and torture. It was speculated among Antigoans at the time that the missionaries were a group of soothsaying magicians sent by the Wacksantans due to their strange clothing. The missionaries escaped and headed north through the deep forests surrounding the Inara Basin, but 12 were killed in the escape.

Decline and Inaran rule
According to Antigoan historians, the Antigoan kingdom managed to overpower the Wacksantan tribe in the 5th century AD, resulting in the reemergence of the kingdom as one of the powerful kingdoms in the region. In attempts to remove all references to the Waksantan tribe, the then king of Antigo, Zauchlon Julien, ordered all the records of the tribe to be destroyed. Hence, to this day, little could be known about the tribe.

The Great Reformation of Pretany started in 600 AD when the "less civilized" peoples from the west, as worded by the Antigoans, were allowed access to the exotic peoples and goods of the east. The Kingdom of Antigo under King Mark Dagermu allowed a handful of merchants to open a trading post at Westward Gate, a flat plateau that was used as a path to the east since the time of Ava. The trading post quickly grew into one of the largest cities in the mountainous region and the Great Pretanic trade route allowed people to travel eastward. The Antigoans charged little or no taxes on all goods shipped through their territory to allow higher volumes of trade, which expanded the cities of Trinity and Antigo threefold. However, the Antigoans were not happy when they were introduced to foreign ideas such as individualism and also the merchants' open disrespect to the Antigoan culture, which resulted in a revolt overthrowing Matthew Dagermu in 627 AD. Since then, subsequent kings of Antigo decided to limit the number of merchants by imposing a higher flat tax which significantly impacted trade between Inara and other parts of Uletha, beginning a steady decline of the kingdom.

As Inara depended on the trade routes for its growth, past Inaran kings have tried persuading the Antigoan Royal Court to lift the taxes and engage in trade to also improve the Antigoan economy, but even after the signing of the Feulwhite Declaration and Tesmonnes Agreement, the Antigoan court had done little to fulfil these agreements, as the people of Antigo often raised concerns over the dilution of Antigoan culture and invasion of 'foreign ideals' into Antigo. After failed negotiations between the then Antigoan King Aswad Renard and the Inarans, the Inarans launched the Siege of Antigo in 840 AD. The Siege lasted for nearly two years until the population of the city nearly starved to death. The purpose of the siege remained controversial to this day, as Antigoans point this siege as a way for the Inarans to conquer Antigo and exploit its resources, but the Inarans and Pretanic historians argued that the siege was launched against 'rebels' in Antigo City who are against the Antigoan king.

The Inaran-occupied Antigo has a poorly recorded history and most historians believe the Inarans had little control of the arid region other than a continued military occupation of the city itself. It is believed, however, during Inaran rule, puppet kings were installed in the kingdom. This installation of puppet kings stopped sometime in 1022 AD after a fierce rebellion by Antigoans believed to have been instigated by the last king of Antigo and bloodline to the former Ahutarex dynasty - Eschmann Ahutarex, and since then replaced by a governor. Much of Antigo, however, still have their freedom in many areas, such as internal trade, religion and culture, as long as they paid their taxes to Inara. In the 1340s, some pro-Antigoan groups attempted to launch a rebellion against Inara, which failed terribly and resulted in the complete destruction of Antigo City. Nevertheless, the Antigoans later took part in the revolt by the poor in Inara, resulting in the overthrowing of the Inaran monarchy during the Egyt War.

Pretanic rule
After the Inarans’ loss of influence and power in the region to Pretany after the Egyt War in 1372 AD, the Antigoans tried to appeal to Pretany for independence. However, this was not granted, as the first king of Pretany - Duke Beglidere - said 'what was Inara's, is now rightfully ours', which greatly angered many Antigoans. Antigo was split into three main shires - the Shire of Central Antigo, the Shire of Kontroga and the Shire of Alam. Under Pretanic rule, there were attempts by some of the Pretanic kings to convert (or in some other historians 'tame') the Antigoans from Cuppa to Catholicism, which was no simple task given the fact that Cuppa has flourished up till Pretanic occupation. Other kings, like King Gabriel of Port Emporia, took a softer approach by establishing an aristocratic system for the shires which greatly benefitted the religious leaders governing the shires. However, it was known that the Cuppa leaders became corrupt under this system. The monarchy did little to suppress the fits of anger and pirating that continued from the shires due to the unwillingness of troops to occupy the arid and dangerous landscape.

In 1574, the first official nationally recognized duke, Conradion Marlow, stabilised the shires by purging several corrupt religious leaders and also ensured the soldiers assigned to Antigo fulfilled their duties, even though his intentions were questionable. It was said by Antigoans historians that he eventually persuaded the Pretanic monarchy to enslave most of the Antigoans, especially the controversial relocation of many Antigoans to Rockatresston in 1581, and even rumoured to have a harem of prostitutes in Bongdaddle Castle near Kontroga. He refused to convert the Antigoans to the Catholic faith and the Antigoans were still denied Pretanic citizenship and freedom of travel. After King Dietric of St. Richards took power, he started a campaign to convert the Antigoans to Catholicism, by sending internal civil diplomats to Antigo in 1590. This had surprisingly worked, and by 1616, more than 40% of the shires had converted to Catholicism. It was unclear what the campaign truly involved, though Antigoan historians later claimed it was through extortions and threats that forced the people to turn away from the Way of Cuppa. Despite having converted to Catholicism, many Antigoans are refused rights as citizens.

A revolt happened under King Lagbard of Croxton, a known "worthless king", in 1668. However, the brief two-day independence from Pretany was cut short by several dukes which intervened and purged those who instigated the revolt. In 1672, the Shire of Kontroga was conquered by Surian forces, one of the great losses under King Lagbard. The Shire was under Surian rule until 1774, when King Christian of Raggleneth reestablished control over all of Antigo. Meanwhile, the other Antigoans in the other Shires were also actively involved in the Great Revolt of 1745, which was essentially a military coup. However, the revolt did little to pave the way for Antigoan independence.

In 1770, King Christian had gained control of the shires in the sense of political and economic stability. The shires by then did not have any religious leaders governing them over the years once more Antigoans turned away from Cuppa. In the early 19th century, to help Antigoans gain better job prospects outside of Antigo, the Inmar School of Higher Learning was established, an initially crown-funded school that was tightly regulated. However, the governors of the shires negotiated intensively with the crown not to interfere with the school's curriculum, hence the school became self-funded and inadvertently began teaching religious Cuppa doctrine as Antigoan history coursework since 1887, making way for the rise of Cuppa in Antigo. However, in 1911, the school was forced to shut down by military forces after a mass grave of children aged 7-12 was found numbering in the thousands buried under a new administrative building. The uproar was tremendous by the nation of Pretany and pressure was placed on the crown to tightly regulate the curriculum being taught or practised in the kingdom. Many schools in Antigo were then forced to close during the purges in 1922, though there were underground schools established which promoted Antigoan culture and Cuppa. The Antigoans then started demanding independence from the crown over the rise of nationalism in the shires.

Between 1885 and 1930, 75% of the population of Antigo had converted to a particularly extreme version of Cuppa. Nevertheless, some Antigoan political parties like the Antigoan People's Party (APP), the Peace Action Party of Antigo (PAPA) and the Cuppa National Party (CNP) have pursued strategies of co-operation with the Kingdom of Pretany in hopes of being granted greater self-rule, forming a partial self-ruled government known as the Antigoan Council. However, some radical groups like the Socialist Antigoan Workers Party (SAWP) and the National Communist Party of Antigo (NCPA), have taken a non-cooperative strategy demanding 'immediate independence from Pretanic Imperialists'. These radical groups are known to have formed the Antigo National Liberation Army (ANLA), a guerilla force aiming to bring Antigo's independence by force. The ANLA was known for its adaptation of the ancient Cuppa-style river raids on Lybram and Trinity. Rudimentary at first, with only homes being raided by bands of 10-20 teenagers, it became increasingly organised, with the Escallar Primary School Bombing in Clawea in 1919. The school sat on the banks of the De Barge River when an unidentified barge docked at the school's pier suddenly exploded and killed 230 school children. The aggression was seen as domestic terrorism at the time directly aimed at neighbouring non-Cuppa worshipping shires. The first domestic sanction against the shires was placed in 1920 against Antigo by the crown after allegations of state-funded terrorism was backed up by strong evidence. Eventually, the ANLA then fled to Suria, where the Antigoan Provisional Government was formed with support from Suria, during the Pretanic Spring in 1931. The Pretanic Spring involved 'acts of genocide' against Antigoans with about 20 000 dead, though this number is heavily contested.

Antigoan National Revolution and Post-war Era
The Antigoan National Revolution broke out in 1935 when Surian-backed ANLA invaded Antigo. Its advances into Antigo are largely successful due to the little preparedness of the Pretanic troops and their poor military tactics to defend. The proclamation of the so-called independence after the ANLA captured Antigo City prompted the Royal National Guard to send in 2000 troops into unoccupied western parts of Antigo to put a stop to the rebellion in January 1936, while defending the remaining unoccupied regions. However, the Guards, while well-equipped, were mostly overpowered by the incoming Antigoan air raids sent by Suria. Antigo started launching invasions into Pretany for the liberation of several Antigoans in the kingdom, which failed. The war ended in an armistice agreement (the Daulselon Treaty) signed on 9 August 1939, and belligerents established the Pretanic Demilitarised Zone, which since then been patrolled by the Antigoan Peacekeeping Troops (APT) and the Pretanic Border Patrol. However, no peace treaty has been signed and Pretany and Antigo still remained at war with each other. After the civil war, Antigo's monarchy was temporarily restored with King Bryan Meskin as head of state, while a constitutional provisional government was set up with Chief General John Burkhanov as prime minister. An election was scheduled for a new party to take over the provisional government but never happened due to the Burkhanov Revolution in August 1940 after a year of strikes and demonstrations against the monarchy. The monarchy had set up controversial proposals such as maintaining close ties with Pretany and other foreign governments and creating a secular state. Eventually, King Meskin was forced to abdicate and flee but was eventually captured and executed by the Burkhanov government in 1950.

John Burkhanov and the Socialist Antigoan Workers Party (SAWP) then proceeded to consolidate power and became the only ruling party in the Antigoan government despite being not the majority party in the previous provisional government. Later in October 1940, a referendum was held which officially declared Antigo to be a theonomic Cuppalist republic. In 1941, Burkhanov eventually agreed to reinstate elections, but the elections were rigged in favour of the socialists. Many pointed this as 'a formal display of their victory of the communists' who were in conflict with the socialists. In December, a law was passed to ban all political parties 'which do not follow the key principals of Cuppa'. This eliminated all forms of opposition as the smaller opposition parties were purged and the detention of several key communist leaders. In 1943, Operation Kleaquin was launched to purge political opponents 'considered not radical enough'. Even the communists and nationalists were not spared even though they helped in the war and supported the new constitution. About 43 000 were executed, including 3000 children with suspected ties to 'unclean individuals', and about 200 000 to 500 000 people were sent to prison camps set up under the Burkhanov regime.

Soon after, the Burkhanov administration adopted new economic plans for recovery in post-war Antigo through Burkhanov's Three-Year plans. These plans were guided and based on key Cuppa principles, among which self-reliance is considered 'a key element' in the plans. With new local companies being set up, new jobs were created for Antigoans and production levels in Antigo increased, surpassing that of Pretany's in the mid-1940s. Pretany thus took action to introduce reforms to 'modernise' and keep up with other nations. Meanwhile, to deal with the so-called problem of the declining population in Antigo, breeding camps were set up. On 19 February 1948, Mazanic forces invaded the duchy of Alam, launching the four-months Alam war. The Antigoans managed to drive the forces back into Mazan and also tried to conquer parts of Mazan through several offensives. However, the war ended after both sides suffered massive casualties and a truce was signed between the two nations on 6 July. To prevent such an invasion from happening again, especially from Pretany and other neighbours, the Burkhanov government in the subsequent years started to build up and improve its military. Meanwhile, the culture, history and language of Antigo were undergoing revisions to 'eliminate unorthodox political and social thought intended to destabilise peace in Antigo', but these revisions have been heavily criticised by outside experts as a way to curtail civilians' freedom of speech and expression, and to distort history in a way that it will be in favour of the Burkhanov government.

In 1955, under Burkhanov's Third Three-year Plan, it calls for the implementation of unproven and unscientific new agricultural techniques said to be proposed by Suria. With the higher expectations of a great harvest, several officials gave fabricated reports to the Burkhanov government to avoid being purged. Based upon the fabricated success, party cadres were ordered to requisition a disproportionately high amount of that fictitious harvest for state use, primarily for use in the cities and urban areas but also for export. This resulted in many deaths as the peasants have little for themselves. After it was discovered that the techniques did not work at all, the Burkhanov government launched purges against the officials giving fabricated reports and re-adjusted its production plans. The first border conflict between Pretany and Antigo sparked in 1962 when 15 tourists were captured by Antigoan border patrols which claimed that they trying to enter Antigo illegally from Rickorack Reserve. Pretany, however, said it was a political motive aimed to capture the son of a prominent government official. The incident led to the resignation of then Pretanic Prime Minister Trudeau Karter after his administration failed to negotiate for the release of the hostages. In a highly publicised trial of 1963, ten of them received a death sentence and hanged in March, while the other five were sent to labour camps. This incident resulted in the souring of ties between Antigo and Pretany and also the outside world.

In the 1970s, Pretany started bombing certain border towns in Antigo in response to Antigoan aeroplanes violating Pretanic airspace in 1969. Antigo responded by investing in efforts into developing a nuclear arsenal to deter 'irrational Pretanic behaviour against Antigo'. During this time, there has also been a spike in child abductions from Pretany most likely by Antigoan secret agents. Meanwhile, J. L. Burkhanov announced plans to cede power to his son M. P. Burkhanov, who was already taking on various state tasks. Due to Antigo's reluctance to expand its trade and allow foreign investments in the nation, its economy started to stagnate from 1975 onwards. The economy started to plunge deeply when international prices for Antigo's minerals fell, leaving the nation with large debts which it is unable to pay off while trying to maintain a high level of social welfare for its citizens.

M. P. Burkhanov's rule
On 13 June 1980, J. L. Burkhanov died of a sudden heart attack, and his son M. P. Burkhanov took over. He declared a year of national mourning before officially taking over as Supreme Leader of Antigo on 22 November 1981. Under M. P.'s administration, he took on major infrastructure projects, such as repairing Antigo's national roads, carry on plans to build the Antigo Metro and also expanded the national rail network to redevelop Antigo's economy. However, a flood and a subsequent heatwave in 1982 crippled the agricultural sector of the economy. In response to the crisis, Burkhanov then initiated a massive militarization of the nation and announced plans to resume the nuclear programme as planned by his father. At the same time, he looked into developing new industries, such as manufacturing automobiles and vehicles. One such example included the establishment of Antigo's national car company Gocarsot. He also allowed foreign companies to set up their businesses in Antigo, but only 'in a way where the general populace will benefit', meaning that the companies have little freedom over their operations in Antigo. Nevertheless, in 1984, Demirhanı companies have set up their operations in Kuyak and Dunthagila, and negotiations were underway to allow Pretanic companies in Antigo.

In 1986, following another severe nationwide flooding, the government, for the first time, accepted AN food aid (though most of the aid goes to the elites and some of the middle class) and tolerated illegal black markets being set up especially in the west while officially maintaining a state socialist economy. For the first time in history, the government also conducted traditional Cuppalist rituals such as mass child sacrifices which also included abducted foreign children (despite Cuppa traditions saying that only those 'pure in heart' can be sacrificed). Besides these highly controversial rituals condemned by the international community, efforts were also underway to develop better water systems in the country. In 1988, the negotiations with Pretany resulted in Pretany's new reconciliation and cooperation policy known as the RC Policy, with the aim of successfully treating Antigo as a 'normal state to cooperate with'. In 1989, Pretanic companies were set up in Antigo with the successful opening of the Daulselon Special Economic Zone, paving way for further economic cooperation. In the same year, following the adoption of Assembly of Nations Peace Council Resolution 702, Antigo was admitted as the 'Pretanic Faction State (of Antigo)', or ‘Pretanic Antigo’, which was (reluctantly) accepted by the Antigoan government.

The RC Policy ended in 1995 following opposition from the Pretanic government opposition parties and the general public and Antigo's unwillingness to denuclearise. The policy was briefly reinstated from 2003 but ended in 2005 as more resources were then diverted to recovery efforts for the 2005 Great Rift Sound Earthquake. Tremors from the earthquake have also been felt in northeastern parts of Antigo, and Antigo responded by initiating another infamous mass child sacrifice in that year, the last mass sacrifice since. In 2007, Antigo managed to successfully detonate its first nuclear bomb in a base in Alam, prompting Pretany and other Ulethan nations to suspend trade with Antigo, resulting in the suspension of several trade pacts. Although Pretany decided to adopt a policy of 'strategic patience', tensions between Antigo and Pretany still increased over sabotage of Port Euphoria's restoration works in 2008 and the air bombings of several Pretanic villages in 2009. There were still continual kidnappings of Pretanic women and children to help increase the population of Antigo. AN sanctions were imposed from 2010 onwards which severely impacted the already weakening Antigo and economy. Thus, it briefly halted its development of nuclear weapons since 2014 but still resumed bombings onto parts of Pretany.

T. K. Burkhanov's rule
On 11 September 2015, the supreme leader M. P. Burkhanov died from stomach cancer and Dick Burkhanov, often known as T. K. Burkhanov, took over. Antigo continued to develop its nuclear arsenal despite international condemnation. These tests, which resumed in 2016, stopped after the 2017 Talking Forums with Pretany and other nations in the region, and there were hopes of improvement of Antigo's relations with other countries. However, questions over the treatment of infertile women, children, and the poor in Antigo still needs to be addressed, and there are pushes by the AN to democratise and fully modernised Antigo (in terms of culture and technology) and allow greater freedom of speech and expression to adapt to the modern world.

Geography
Antigo lies between 49N and 53N and 58E to 68E. Antigo is landlocked and relatively flat, besides its northeastern border with Pretany where the Rickorack Ridge is. It has many rivers and lakes, with the Antigo River flowing through the country and ending at the Great Rift Sound. About 40 to 50% of Antigo is forested, particularly in the northern regions and the Rickorack Ridge. At the south of Antigo, wide plains can be found with small patches of deserts. The Alam Desert, one of the largest plains formed as a result of desertification, stretching across northern Mazan and southern Antigo. While Antigo City is the capital, it is only the second largest and second most populated city behind Kontroga. Other major cities include Gut, Daulselon, Savanna Avay, Kessetourilak, Tapaorkagrad and Soheitmeinya.

Climate
The climate in Antigo is rather diverse, with the northern region experiencing cooler summers and warmer winters compared to the southern area. Annual precipitation is 1680 mm in the northern part of Antigo and more than 700 mm (66.9 in) in the semi-arid plains.

Administrative divisions
Antigo is divided into 39 duchies, which was said to have been established during the Antigoan Kingdom.

Out of all these duchies, Karak-a-ja is not officially recognised as operational or inhabited after the Orange Movement in 1998, probably due to rebels taking over the city. It has also been publicly reported that the duchy has a major accident which rendered the duchy uninhabitable, but satellite images have shown otherwise.

Government and politics
According to its 2015 constitution, Antigo functions as a highly centralized, one-party revolutionary and socialist state "guided in its activities by the Principles of Cuppa and the Ideas of the Great Prophets". The Antigoan government is led by the Socialist Antigoan Workers' Party, which has been in power since the Burkhanov Revolution, dominating every aspect of Antigoan politics. The Supreme Leader of Antigo (the de facto head of state) is currently known as T. K. Burkhanov, the grandson of the founder of Antigo John Burkhanov (known as J. L. Burkhanov), also the state's "Eternal President and Saviour of the Nation" (the de jure head of state and government), while his father M. P. Burkhanov was announced "Eternal General Secretary and Guardian of Peace" after his death in 2015.

The People's Cabinet of Antigo is the executive and administrative branch of the Antigoan government. It is led by the Supreme Leader and the Cabinet controls the three ministries, which in turn are divided into various departments or committees. These are the Ministry of Defence, Peace and Stability (MDPS) (which deals with internal security, external security and international affairs); the Ministry of Communications and Truth (MCT) (deals with national media, propaganda, arts and education), and the Ministry of Trade, Finance and Development (deals with economic affairs and trade and the nation's development and infrastructure). However, while there are various departmental heads, there are no official 'ministers'. These heads or sometimes representatives form the legislative branch of the government, the National Advisory Assembly, led by the Premier (de facto head of government). These representatives are mostly elected by the people via elections and/or assigned by the People's Cabinet of Antigo. The premier and other key representatives or heads form the Cabinet normally picked by the Supreme Leader.

The National Advisory Assembly makes and proposes laws and the ones who plan the national and international affairs of Antigo. However, all proposals are to be sent to the Cabinet for review and only officially passed by the Supreme Leader. (Hence, many criticised this as just a 'rubber stamp' for approval of the Cabinet's proposed laws) The Antigoan Supreme Court of Justice is officially an independent judicial branch of the government, which is linked to the Department of Internal Security. Usually, a part is controlled by the military as well. There are several types of courts in Antigo, including public courts that deal with civil and criminal cases, and revolutionary courts which deal with certain categories of offences, such as crimes against national security. The decisions of the revolutionary courts are final and cannot be appealed.

Supreme Leader
The Successor for the Leader of the Revolution ("Supreme Leader") is responsible for carrying on the duties of the Eternal President, namely, the delineation and supervision of the policies of the Socialist Republic of Antigo. The current Supreme Leader, T. K. Burkhanov, has been issuing decrees and making the final decisions on the economy, environment, foreign policy, education, national plannings, and everything else in the country. While not officially part of his duties, he also outlines elections guidelines and has fired and reinstated cabinet appointments. Key department heads and the generals are selected with the Supreme Leader's agreement and he has the ultimate say on Antigo's foreign policy. Antigo's regional policy is directly controlled by the Office of the Supreme Leader with the Department of Foreign Affairs' task limited to protocol and ceremonial occasions. All of Antigo's ambassadors, for example, are chosen by the Department only on approval of the Office. The budget bill for every year, as well as withdrawing money from the National Budget of Antigo, require the Supreme Leader's approval and permission. Only the Supreme Leader can amend, repeal and pass laws suggested by the Assembly, and any law proposed by the Supreme Leader cannot be debated against by the Assembly.

In Antigo's history, there have only been two supreme leaders - the Late Eternal Guardian M. P. Burkhanov and currently his son T. K. Burkhanov. The office was set up soon after the death of the now Eternal Founder J. L. Burkhanov. This position is regarded as the de facto head of state.

Burkhanov Dynasty
Antigo is ruled by the Burkhanov dynasty, which in Antigo known as the "pure and sacred bloodline of the Greatest Prophets of Antigo". It is a three-generation lineage descending from the country's first leader, John Burkhanov (who, since 1937, developed a cult of personality closely tied to the Principles of Cuppa), which was later passed on to his successors: his son M. P. Burkhanov and grandson T. K. Burkhanov. In 2013, this lineage was made explicit when Clause 2 of Article 9 of the constitution stated that the Antigoan government must be led "eternally" by the "Sacred Bloodline".

Diplomacy
Antigo's foreign policy is to establish a new world order based on world peace, global collective security, and justice, under the principles of socialism. Despite claims of non-alignment when establishing ties with other foreign entities, analysts have observed that Antigo prefers to 'stick close' with other left-leaning nations, especially communist states despite having purged communists in Antigo in the early years of establishment. Till today. due to its isolationist policies, Antigo has relatively few diplomatic ties, and other nations have refused relations with Antigo due to its human rights issues. The few nations that have established with Antigo recognises it as independent from Pretany but most of them chose not recognise the government itself. Many others still conduct unofficial talks with the state with regard to economical and military matters, either directly or through other nations which have formal ties with Antigo.

Antigo is part of the Assembly of Nations, following the adoption of Assembly of Nations Peace Council Resolution 702 in 1989. It has also applied for membership to the Ulethan Alliance for Culture, but its applications have been blocked by some member states as they denounced the ‘barbaric culture’ which ‘negatively affects its citizens’. Due to diplomatic pressure from Pretany, it often participates under the name 'Pretanic Antigo' or 'Antigoan Pretany'. Suria remains one of the main allies of the country and, through the Antigoan-Surian Friendship pact, continued selling arms and providing military training to the Armed Forces. It threatens the use of force to defend Antigo if Pretany ever tries to use forces to retake the nation. Suria is also Antigo's key economic partner as well, accounting for at least 70% of foreign trade. Antigo also provides expertise to Suria on military projects and there is a considerable number of Surians residing in Antigo. Under Sasuke Volkman, Belphenia was known as Antigo’s closest friend. Despite the 2011 revolution in Belphenia which resulted in the fall of the Volkman regime, it still retains ties with Belphenia, though economic trade with Belphenia has dipped over the years.

Since the 1990s, Antigo's nuclear program has become the subject of contention with the international community, mainly Pretany and other nations in the region. The subsequent nuclear tests have raised fears that the region will be turned into a 'nuclear holocaust'. This has led the Assembly of Nations Security Council to impose sanctions against the state which had further isolated Antigo politically and economically from the rest of the global community. Since 2017, however, Antigo has stopped its nuclear weapons programme in hopes of re-establishing commercial and political ties with other states.

The foreign relations of Antigo are managed by the Department of Foreign Relations under Cinna Mesbergen.

Relations with Pretany
Relations between both sides have been marred by conflicting views over Antigo's political status. Antigo's policy to Pretany is to seek peaceful, official separation from Pretany through its policy of ‘permanent aggressiveness’. Over the years, Antigo has explicitly denounced any moves of reunification by Pretany whether through force or coercion and also said they may use force if 'peaceful separation cannot be achieved', in contrast to Pretanic’s view that Antigo is to be reunified. Pretany views Antigo as an illegitimate state and, even with the warming of ties, it has not officially denounced the Antigoan territory as part of Pretany, though this view has been downplayed over the years. Since the war, relations between both sides became increasingly hostile over border conflicts and minor skirmishes. The border between both sides has been heavily militarised. Such relations have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability, due to the fact that the War merely stopped without formal signing of any peace treaty and the two sides are technically still in a state of war.

Nevertheless, there were still meetings and talks between both sides since the 1970s. The establishment of the 1975 Consensus paved the foundation for talks and is used as a basis for its future exchanges. In the 80s, Pretany initiated the RC policy, with the aim of successfully treating Antigo as a 'normal state to cooperate with'. The policy helps Antigo establish relations with other Ulethan nations and contributed to the establishment of joint economic projects, for example, the Daulselon Special Economic Zone. On 21 April 1991, then Pretanic Prime Minister Hill Sutherland and then Antigoan leader M. P. Burkhanov, met for the first time in Daulselon which resulted in the 1991 Pretanic - Antigoan Peace Declaration. The two leaders met a few more times in 1993, in June in Antigo City, on the invitation of M.P. Burkhanov, and in September in Rockatresston. However, the next Pretanic Prime Minister Hank Hanstra took a more hard-line approach against Antigo and suspended aid deliveries pending the de-nuclearization of Antigo. Antigo responded by ending all of its previous agreements with Pretany.

Relations with Pretany were strained in the following years, including the continual abduction of Pretanic women and children, the sabotage of the Port Euphoria's restoration works, and also the resumption of its nuclear programme. However, under T. K. Burkhanov's administration, Antigo halted its nuclear programme and decided to restore relations with Pretany. On 12 May 2018, the Pretanic Prime Minister Rodney Wallaver met T. K. Burkhanov in Daulselon, the first meeting between the two leaders in the 21st century, which resulted in a declaration agreeing to turn the region into a “land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats”. T. K. Burkhanov also expressed the possibility of visiting Pretany by the end of 2018 or in early 2019, but there have been no such plans since a news report from Antigo in June 2019.

Relations with Pretany are under the Pretanic Affairs Council led by Oderius Charles.

Human rights
Antigo is described to have one of the world's most severe breaches on human rights. The Assembly of Nations and other humanitarian organisations has conducted an investigation regarding the nation's human rights and reported 'severe restrictions on the freedom of association, expression and movement, and any failure to comply with the regime's ideology will result in arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment resulting in death, and executions.' The Department of Internal Security extrajudicially apprehends and imprisons those accused of political crimes without due process. Most people, perceived as hostile to the government, are deported to labour camps without trial without any chance of being released. Supporters of the government who deviate from the government line are subject to 're-education' in sections of labour camps or mental hospitals set aside for that purpose. Those who are deemed politically rehabilitated may reassume responsible government positions on their release, but most of them are eventually arrested for other charges and eventually disappeared from society.

The Assembly of Nations Children's Fund (ANCF) also reports of children being raised in 'breeding camps', which has been seen as a way for the Antigoan government to keep a close eye on the entire population from a very young age. Defectors report 'unsanitary conditions' in the camps, starvation and poor infrastructure. Additionally, besides just the normal curriculum time, there are also 'torture sessions', and even gruesome acts of child sacrifices on ceremonial occasions. ISch indoctrination turned children into 'ungovernable little savages' and yet made them not only unable to rebel against the regime but to adore it and everything else connected with it. Just recently, the Antigoan government has pledged to improve the camps' conditions by revamping the infrastructure and imposing strict health guidelines, though the educational programme has never been changed. On every Antigoan Games, children between 14 to 18 are selected to participate in the games, which are seen to the human rights observers as 'brutal', as children were forced to kill off each other in a certain segment of the games. There were unconfirmed reports of torture as well in 'intense training' for another segment of gymnastics.

In response to the reports on Antigo's human rights, the Antigoan government rejects them and called them "a smear campaign" and a "human rights racket" aimed at 'unjustifiable' government change. However, over the years, the government has implemented gradual changes regarding this issue, such as making the conditions in the camps more bearable and relaxing the number of guards in the camps. Though most nowadays are given a trial, it is said that these are merely orchestrated with the outcome determined beforehand.

Military
The Antigoan Peacekeeping Force is Antigo's main military organisation. Not much is known about the number of troops, but it is estimated that there are about 5,000,000 to 9,275,000 active personnel. The military faces some issues limiting its conventional capabilities, including obsolete equipment, insufficient fuel supplies and a shortage of digital command and control assets due to the AN banning other countries from selling war equipment and resources to the country. Nevertheless, some nations such as Suria has supplied military weapons such as ballistic missiles, tanks and warplanes in violations of the AN sanctions imposed, claiming that Antigo needs weapons of defence to deter Pretanic invasion. Antigo is known to possess nuclear weapons, mainly from Suria, and most tests are held in Alam. These nuclear tests were often met with opposition with the Mazanic government, as certain projects are said to have violated the border. It is uncertain about the strength of its arsenal, with estimates ranging from 20 to 60 bombs including a few hydrogen bombs. Tapping on technology, it is estimated that Antigo has 4,000 sophisticated computer security personnel. There are known worldwide cyber-attacks launched by Antigo, although the nation denies having launched the attacks. It is believed, however, its cyber programme is aimed at jamming Pretany's military satellites, throwing Pretany into a gridlock once its systems are down to deter military invasions.

Antigo is also known for its river raids. Such river raids have been a historical military tactic by the Antigoans since pre-history. Raided villages have been found as far west as Sathria along the Barsas River. Modern-day river raids come in waves and rarely happen during the winter months. The tactic is viewed positively by the populace as 'historically appropriate' in the Cuppa religion. The two main river systems that have been raided over the years are the De Barge River in Firgotonus, Pretany, and the Barsas River via the Rusklands River to the south. The city of Iiltunwas originally platted as a Pretanic naval base in 1920 to prevent Antigoans who snuck into Pretany from reaching the Barsas River and doing damage closer to Trinity and Raggleneth. The city of Trancombe in the Moors, originally an Ingerish prison camp, has often been raided by marauders carrying boats across land several times over the centuries. There have been multiple river raids into Suria over the centuries as well. Pretany is the main target of the raids due to its policy of "permanent aggressiveness". As recently as 2016 a small river raid on the city of Mealna along the De Barge River concluded when members of the Pretanic Guard shot and killed crewman of an unmarked barge floating close to homes on the south side of the river. No explosive devices were found.

In media reports, Antigo claims that about 15 to 20% of its state budget is allocated to the military.

Economy
The Antigoan economy, like many communist/socialist nations, has been claimed to be a command economy since the establishment of the socialist regime. Hence, the economic output adheres mainly to the government's targets (specifically the Department of National Economic Planning) by a certain date. For example, the 1972 Five-Year Plan demanded that coal output should increase by 60% by 1977. There is very little private ownership since everything has been declared to be 'state-owned'. Labourers of the state are assigned task-oriented work units that compete to (over-) achieve these goals, with rewards of cuts depending on the results. The workers of the state are said to be encouraged to further their productivity through mobilisation and propaganda campaigns. However, such plans, while initially successful, have seen little success from the 70s onwards due to complications arising from unplanned situations such as famines, competition between various governmental groups and complex sectoral interactions. Further mismanagement of the economy and unwillingness to reform has further declined the productivity of the nation.

This is a surprising fact given that the Pretanic government since the 19th century has invested in infrastructure for industries, roads and rails in the Antigoan region due to Antigo's abundance of natural resources. However, such infrastructure has largely been destroyed, whether deliberately or unintentionally, during the war with Pretany. The later reconstruction of such infrastructure, however, did not help to sustain the economy as they later became underused when Antigo focussed on agricultural output in those years. The infrastructure later became obsolete and hampers productivity instead of improving it.

In attempts to reform the economy in the 80s, the then new leader M. P. Burkhanov started to invite foreign companies to set up businesses in Antigo and promote tourism in the country, resulting in the revamping of road infrastructure nationwide. Joint ventures with Pretany were allowed after numerous rounds of talks but briefly suspended when Antigo resumed its nuclear programme and its mistreatment of Antigoan workers in foreign companies.

Demographics
According to the 2015 census, the population is 18,142,000. Majority of the population are Antigoans, though there are other minority groups like the Syleans. Majority of those in the minority groups are often not accounted for in the census as they are considered 'insignificant'.

Language
The official languages of Antigo are Standardised Antigoan and Antigoan Ingerish. These languages, used in official matters, are controlled languages created by the Antigoan government with restricted grammar and limited vocabulary, meant to limit the freedom of thought — personal identity, self-expression, free will — that threatens the ideology of the régime of the Burkhanovs and Antigoan Socialism. Old Antigoan, or called informally Werkmannich (meaning Workers' language), still remains spoken by the working class. The Antigoan language is an isolate within Uletha, though with many Kalmish influences the government sought to diminish over time.

Religion
Although Antigo is officially an atheist state, Cuppa is still prevalent in Antigoan society. The "Principles of Cuppa" is said to be the "creative application" of socialism. Traditions from the extreme-sect of Cuppa remains in Antigo, such as the practice of child sacrifices on Antigo's celebrations or sometimes in the face of a major crisis in Antigo. Besides Cuppa, other religions, such as Catholicism, the Christic movement and Iman is believed to be practised in Antigo as well. Churches and mosques exist, but critics said these are just purely for show to visitors to emphasis Antigo's so-called 'freedom of religion', which in fact does not exist in the country. Ever since Operation Kleaquin was launched in the initial stages of the nation's development, many Christic and Iman followers were purged.

Propaganda and state media
Antigoan propaganda is often used to elevate the Burkhanov's to almost demi-god status, and they are often praised for being the great leaders 'caring for the needs of Antigoans'. The Burkhanovs are often viewed as being descendant for a lineage of Cuppa prophets. Besides the emphasis on the Burkhanovs' status and their various good deeds for the nation, there is often condemnation towards Pretany and other nations in the outside world.

Sports
The breeding camps in Antigo often places emphasis on sports for Antigoan children to 'promote a healthy lifestyle'. Sports were initially banned up till 1965, as they were considered to be associated with the imperialists, but this changed when Antigo decided to participate in the Geolympiad Games. Since then, in every Geolympiad game it has participated, it has won a notable number of medals, especially in sports like fencing, badminton and tennis.