Yakolira

Yakolira is a country in the Zendari world.

History
Yakolira was founded in 1974 by a group of settlers originating from Xobrania. Already inhabiting the island were indidgenous populations, however they quickly merged and in the present day are virtually indistinguishable. However, their difference can still be felt. Yakoliran, the native language spoken mainly in the regions of Tialani and Karilo, is an official language nation-wide and a minority of Xobranian speakers can be found in Koripaka (Lpsjqblb) where the first settlers from there landed.

Three Kingdoms (1976-1993)
Yakolira, however, got off to a rocky start. The disagreements between the settlers and the ethnic population grew so large that the nation we now know as Yakolira was split between the Kingdoms of Modisha (Npejtib in Xobranian), Tialani and Karilo. Large authoritarianism followed in all three kingdoms, and some minor conflict followed, notably in the battle of Desipet Field (Felide Desipet/Eftjqfu Gjfme) which took the lives of approximately 250 civilians.

Unity under Akigola (1993-2004)
Eventually, the Kingdoms decided to unite. Yolisid Akigola, honourary monarch under Tialani rule, met with the two other monarchs in Papian to discuss peace negotiations. Eventually, they decided to reunite under the name 'Traffia'. The early nation struggled, however Akigola introduced numerous revolutionary measures. He implemented a democratic socialist ideal which saw widespread equality, however their economy was still lacking. To combat that, he introduced potato farming on their many lush fields. This was such a success that the potato was adopted as a Traffian national symbol and was temporarily featured on the national flag. Akigola ruled for four terms, however decided to step down and let his deputy, Mikel Faroti, take charge.

Faroti and Laparenosi (2005-2010)
Mikel Farosi was by far a different man, and he lead the nation into a brief period of war with Sosij over a land dispute and engaged in minor conflict elsewhere. This caused major casualities, and is generally looked upon with embarrasment in Yakolira today. It was so unsuccessful, in fact, that a snap election had to be called in 2006 barely 14 months into Faroti's reign. The Conservative leader Nigel Laparenosi took charge in the afternath, and although many feared for the worst, he was mostly unremarkable for his 4 years in charge.

Progress under Teloran (2010-2018)
Marnossian immigrant Aran Teloran was elected into power after the 2010 elections, which saw sweeping reforms to the entire country as Traffia transitioned into a liberal, progressive nation. He was seen as somewhat of a 'Traffian Obama' and he is generally seen to have made a positive impact on the nation. Under him, Traffia's economy switched to being more focused on information technology, as Yakolira today is one of the biggest hardware and software manufacterers in all of Zendari. Tourism also grew, as Tialani and Lake Primark became major tourist hotspots with their fascinating natural draw. However, many thought he wasn't as tough on business as Akigola, which in the 2018 elections lead to disaster for him.

Marinesa and a name change (2018-)
Despite being a relative outsider, Nikola Marinesa rose through the ranks to be Traffia's first woman and Social Democrat Prime Minster. She is seen to be a return to the glory days of Akigola, and bring greater equality for all. One of her major goals is to completely end poverty in Yakolira by the end of her term, and she is making major progress towards that already. One other major change was the re-naming of the nation to Yakolira and the updating of the flag, both of which were greatly appreciated by the population. With approval raitings higer than any leader since Akigola, she looks set to bring prosperity to the nation again.

List of Prime Ministers:

 * 1) Yolisid Akigola (Progressive): 1993-2004
 * 2) Mikel Farosi (Progressive): 2004-2006
 * 3) Nigel Laparenosi (Conservative): 2006-2010
 * 4) Aran Teloran (Progressive): 2010-2018
 * 5) Nikola Marinesa (Social Democratic): 2018-present

National Policies

 * Cannabis may be medically prescribed, but is not available for recreational use.
 * All public transportation systems are nationalised, leading to superb efficiency and cleanliness.
 * Elections are split up into parliamentary and prime ministerial elections, and are held every 2 years respectively. For instance, the previous parliamentary election took place in 2016, and the next one will be in 2020 despite a prime ministerial election in 2018.
 * All prisons are controlled by the state and seek to promote rehabillitation as much as possible.
 * They have taken on the most Vendese refugees per capita in the Zendari world.
 * Ever since their failed invasion of Sosij, military spending has been minimal and they have been involved in zero conflicts since.
 * The legal drinking, voting and driving age is 16, although the vast majority of people take public transport instead of driving.
 * Tobacco is outright banned, and alcohol is heavily restricted.
 * Every citizen is entitled to free public healthcare.
 * To become a citizen of Yakolira, you have to have resided there for at least 2 years. The Yakoliran Passport is extremely powerful, allowing freedom of movement across much of the Zendari world.
 * There is no official religion, however recent figures suggest that around 68% of the population are agnostic/athiest, 12% are Jewish (mainly coming from Marnos) and the remainder are a mix of various Christian denominations, Islam and many other religions and beliefs.

Language
The Yakoliran language is derived from a mixture of English, German and Italian, with some French vocabulary also. It uses a rigid syllable structure, with a consonant-vowell-consanant-vowel in every single word. As a result, may foreign names have to be edited to fit into the language structure. As an example, Marnos becomes Maranosi in the native language. Due to the language previosuly being written in an abugida, there is no 'u' sound. However, the language nowadays is almost always written in the latin script.

Sports
The national sport of Yakolira is football, and their national team, despite not qualifying for the first ZFA World Cup, is still ranked in high regard. Their top division cotains 16 teams from across the country, and they help to nurture the upcoming generations of Yakoliran talent. Other popular sports include rugby, tennis, cricket and notably darts.

Notable People

 * Tom Scott, video producer and presenter
 * Jay Foreman, comedian and musician
 * Nanook, band
 * Eugent Bushpepa, rock singer
 * Nothing But Thieves, band
 * JJ McCullough, journalist
 * Mike Trapp, writer and actor
 * Bill Wurtz, skinny legend
 * Fireman Sam, firefighter
 * Ted Loveday, Hapax Legomenon
 * Ed Balls, talk show host