Define

9th September 2020

Referring back to my empathy map, I can get a gist of how I want my ideal country to look like:

Nature will play a big role in my country's development
Music and artistic creativity will be encouraged. MUSIC EVERYWHEREEE!!!
People will be educated, therefore inspiring rational arguments.
People will have freedom but always have a sense of security and trust in the government.
Loyalty as citizens.
Technology and advancement will be necessary in keeping my country up to date with current world affairs and updating technology.
Many interactive public spaces where people can converse and enjoy together.
Convenient stores are a MUST.

These are values I live by (most of the time) and are what I hope the people of the country will live by too.

Loyalty - You may meet many people in you life e.g., co-workers, friends, neighbours, but when you really form a bond with someone you should never break it, unless necessary, which is almost never.
Honesty - It is always important to be honest no matter what. I believe that the truth should be told at all times for someone will definitely appreciate it.
Openmindedness - There are many different people in the world who are not able to experience things that you do therefore you must take them into account and learn from them. It is so important to be able to step out of your comfort zone and consider other ideas and perspectives.
Authenticity - Be the same person with whomever and whenever. Try not to act indifferent to conform to other's views or standards. To be short, don't be fake.
Compassion - Compassion means temporarily suspending judgment so that you can appreciate others' perspectives or situations when they are different from your own. To be compassionate you need to be genuinely concerned about the other person or people's needs.

Research

Here are some aspects of my country I will need to research:

The Country - Mecaia

Deciding on the Name

I had quite some trouble thinking of a name that wouldn't be too 'cringey' or cliche, so I did a quick search on google on how countries get their names:

According to Quartz, most countries in the world have been named after one of four things: an important person with some influence of the country or its history, a directional description of the country, a tribe or ethnic group, or a feature of its land.

I Initially decided that I would name my after a river which would not only be the naming factor to the country but also a source of hydroelectric energy which would power it!

But During my research across country names I came to realise that many country names are usually made of old languages like norse or latin.

So I decided on the name "Mecaia", "meca" meaning mesa or plateau in Russian and "ia" meaning 'land of' in latin. In other words "land of the plateaus".

The reason I chose to incorporate Russian origins is because, firstly I want my country to have multiple seasons (especially the cold winter seasons which i love) and Russia is known for its frigid winters. The second reason Russian was chosen is because of the enormous amount of bare space it encompasses, so I thought it should be logical if I were to have a country created, It would be near or within Russia. My final reason is because Russia is near China and since I myself is a Chinese-Malaysian, I would like to incorporate the chinese language into my country giving my citizens a lingual advantage since Chinese is becoming an increasingly popular language.

I thought to myself that even though I am creating a made up country, I should stick to our present timeline and universe.

ASPects

Government

What type of Government will I choose?

Democratic and with a constitutional monarchy.

Why?

Because I want citizens to have the ability to vote or choose for their ruling authority but still have their pride and patriotism in their country so I have appointed a constitutional monarchy to act as a figurehead and representative of the country.

Infrastructure

Type of Housing:
- I want the homes to have a slight modern touch to them but yet fringe on a traditional style. I want neighbourhoods to have a feeling of community and be integrated with nature.
Roads & Pathways:
- Roads will be large and wide, essentially becoming a pedestrian pavement, since I don't want any cars except public buses.

Education

How is the education system in the country?

Schooling is mandatory and Children are encouraged to enter kindergarten by 4-5 but expected to enter primary school by the age of 6. Throughout the student's school lives, extracurriculars and clubs will play prominent parts in Mecaian's lives shaping their skills and bringing up hobbies.

Even though I believe in the importance of academics, I don't want students to be like bored robots starved from enjoyment, nor do I want them to think of school as so stressful that they rebel and become delinquents. Therefore I believe that teachers need to be encouraging and create a supporting learning environment. Exams, tests and such will be necessary but they shouldn't be the goal of student lives.

I want to strive for a country with a high standard of education (to be honest, who wouldn't), where people all have the chance to participate in high quality education.

Will the government subsidise schooling?

Yes. All schools will have the same fee cost and are government run. There would also be no private schools to reduce the inequality between the students who enter public schools and ones who don't.

But I do think that private schooling can bring in a unique set of experiences so I would like to push forward collaborations between private organisations and the government so that these 'private' schools will not be catered to the more economically advantaged people since all fees will be subsidised but instead will provide a different experience and setting for the students.

Economy and finance

What is the main source of finance from the country?

Its seaports and naval transportation related businesses are the main source of income. Since Mecaia is situated near the coast I think that it would be extremely advantageous to capitalise on it. Fishing and agriculture is also an important business to the country.

Eco Tourism with low impact is also a major part of the economy. Since I aim for a country with a high standard of education, I hope the people will understand the impacts of climate change the importance of a sustainable business. I want to base my country's ecosystem to that of Bhutan's, which although has a high cost visa fee to enter the country, a percentage of the fee goes to support the local businesses.

In turn with the high visa fee Mecaia will dish out, visitors will be able to experience nearly untouched pristine forests protected as national parks.

What will Mecaia use it's finance on?

Mecaia's priority is the welfare of its citizens, so before spending on anything else, the citizens matter first.

Secondly, Mecaia will invest in renewable technology such as hydroelectricity and solar.

Geography

Location:

Type of Biome:
- Grassland and Taiga since my chosen location is quite near the poles which causes low temperatures.

Physical Landform:
- I think that a plateau would be interesting, with a vast space of flat elevated land above the ground which would make a beautiful scenery.
- Mecaia is situated between two sparse countries and is not landlocked as its East is exposed to the sea. This may reflect my own personality as I do enjoy being with others yet sometimes find the ability to enjoy being alone.

Culture

Languages Spoken:

I want my country to be home to people of various national and ethnic origins. English will be the national language, but a majority of people will know Chinese or Russian and some knowing Japanese or Korean.

Why do I want people with many different ethnic backgrounds?

Because I want my country to be similar like Malaysia. The great thing I love about Malaysia is that it is also a multi-racial country like the country of Mecaia which I envision. What's great about this is the diversity that people from different ethnicities with cultures contribute to Mecaia. This diversity is able to form a unique blend of different cultures like Malaysia has. I also want Mecaians to be able to accept people different to themselves and treat everyone regardless of race or gender as their equal. Therefore, I think that the best way to achieve this is to place them all in this multi-racial situation.

Traditional foods

My country will have many different types of foods and fusions from the different people.

health

Will healthcare be subsidised by the government?

General check ups and specialist action will be fully subsidised by the government as long as it is not a cosmetic procedure e.g., lip fillers, hair transplants.

Demographics

How large is your country?

My country will have around 20 million people. This is considered quite a small country, but therefore would be easier to run.

What is the national animal? Why?

The salmon is the national animal of Mecaia because I see them as a symbol of hard work and struggle. Salmon are considered “anadromous” which means they live in both fresh and saltwater, therefore are very versatile. They are known to be able to jump up waterfalls to return to their breeding grounds. In other words, they reach the skies to achieve their goals.

What is the national plant? Why?

Although it may seem peculiar that a typically hot weathered plant such as the cactus, more specifically the Echinopsis pachanoi, is the national plant of Mecaia, situated next to the country notorious for its deadly freezing siberian winters, its irony is due to the great hardy qualities of this cactus, found 3000m high in the Andes and can be planted sea level in the Atacama. The Echinopsis pachanoi is able to survive both hot and frosty cold climates.

Its characteristics are what I wish to see in every Mecaian citizen; adaptable, strong and positive, being able to bloom whenever they are.

Problem statements

In the next stage; ideation, I will produce multiple ideas about my country. Please go ahead and follow up with my process!!!

Ideation

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