Kingdom of the Empty Closets From the Encyclopaedia Ridicula Kingdom of the Empty Closets Flag National motto Omnia Culpa Martinitas (Latin) "Everything is Martin's fault" Anthem I Want Your Man Babies (listen) Capital San Francisco (de jure) Hereford (de facto) Official languages English (German, Spanish, French, Japaneseand others also spoken) Demonym ECer Government Monarchy Chief of State and Government HM the King Paul I National Assembly Council of State HM the Queen Martina HRH Becky, Veterana of the Realm His Excellency TriBi the Elder Others Independence From Pornland Obtained on November 17th, 2004 Population 4,201 (2008) Time zone GMT -7 (nominally) Drives on the... Conflicting (Most drive on the right, the King and others insist on driving on the left) Internet TLD .emptyclosets.com EC (official name: Kingdom of the Empty Closets) is a country spanning thousands of small enclaves in all continents except Antarctica. It is home to 4,201 people, of which the great majority live in the parts of the country which lie in North America, Europe and Oceania. Due to the scattering of the enclaves all over the world, EC is geographically diverse, although the majority of the country is urbanized. EC spans prairies, deserts and even mountainous terrain, but it’s notorious by the lack of tropical forest. The climate is also diverse, with temperatures ranging from -50 degrees Celsius in Fairbanks to +50 degrees Celsius in Dubai. EC won its independency in 2004 after most of its inhabitants were expelled from Pornland due to their age. It is a non-absolute monarchy, where the King acts as both chief of state and government and rules according to the resolutions of a Council of State. The economy is heavily based on services (making up to 95% of GDP). However, EC’s economy is neither as strong nor as stable as that of its neighbor Pornland, and most of the population is economically dependent. EC is very liberal, both politically and socially speaking, with a few exceptions. Same-sex civil unions are taken as granted, and problems such as racism and other kinds of discrimination are a non-issue. EC is a very secular country; there is no official religion, church and state are officially separated, and religious freedom is legally guaranteed, although preaching is usually unwelcome. HISTORY The Kingdom was established on November 17th, 2004, with Paul I as King and an original Council of State with three members, presided by the King. Population growth was initially slow, but from 2007 on, the kingdom’s peace and friendliness attracted thousands. However, its nearly 300% yearly growth rate quickly brought problems, including security issues which were solved. The kingdom survived a dissolution attempt by Pornland in 2008 as well, although it was forced to accept a very unpopular treaty which severely limited public freedom, but which has been somewhat relaxed since. POLITICS EC’s politics take place in the framework of a non-absolutist monarchy, whereby the King of the Empty Closets is both head of state and head of government. There are no political parties, although their existence is neither forbidden nor explicitly allowed. The executive branch is represented mainly by the King, although other members of the Council of State (most notably the Queen Martina) sometimes make use of their executive powers. The legislative branch is vested on the Council of State, a unicameral assembly elected by its own members and ultimately by the King from among the most illustrious citizens of the kingdom. While the kingdom’s political system is openly non-representative, the government has mostly enjoyed from high popularity levels and respect from within and outside the kingdom’s borders. CULTURE EC’s culture is varied due to the diverse origins of its citizens. It has a rich heritage, primarily having to do with LGBT rights. There is a high percentage of artists; rock and pop are the most commonly musical styles the citizens listen to. Since 2007, EC has had a locally-based magazine, Full Spectrum, and a newspaper, EC Times, as well as its own news service. Full Spectrum and the news service tend to be much more reliable than EC Times. Citizens generally rely on foreign news services for non-LGBT related news. Pornography is officially censored. DEMOGRAPHICS The majority of EC’s population is of predominantly European descent, African and Asian descent being also common. There is a small percentage of the population with Native American descent as well. People of British descent are the most numerous. EC has a large urban middle class (up to 90% of its citizens) and a literacy rate of 100%, although educational levels vary. The average age of its citizens is 17-18 years old. EC is distinguished by having the highest percentage of LGBT citizens in the world (99%), which has a major influence in its culture and national identity, and also explains the rarity of native ECers. RELIGION Church and state are officially separated. Most ECers are atheist or agnostic, with a significant percentage of citizens leaning toward Christianism, although few if any citizens follow the guidelines of any congregation. There are some Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist citizens among others as well. SEE ALSO www.emptyclosets.com This page was last modified on 20 December 2008, at 00:06. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
