Lambat (CivClassic 2.0)

The Republic of Lambat, or simply Lambat is a Northeastern nation whose mainland is located within the southern portion of Nuevo Luzon. Lambat is a unitary presidential republic with characteristics of a direct democracy. It was formerly known as the Free State of Lambat. The mainland is bordered by Sussex and New Sovia to the north, Iria to the east. It used to border the Prospectors' Guild to the south, but now borders Plagadonia. It has several geographical regions: New Kalayaan Islands, Greater Duskwood, Salakot (formerly Vacari), Vesteria, and the remote island of Kabute. As of August 2021, Lambat is the 19th largest country in CivClassic based on claim area.

Initially planned to be a tiny and isolated city-state, Lambat has grown to encompass one-third of Nuevo Luzon and several island exclaves of major economic importance. The nation has an evolving and distinct cultural identity that is slightly based on real life Filipino customs and traditions, while integrating various aspects of several nations in CivClassics due to interactions with its foreign trade partners. Lambat is a pacifist and non-interventionist nation that maintains bilateral ties with several countries from various regions and alliances, mainly Capeland, Cortesia Del Mar, Icenia, Lusitania, and Mount September. It is an associate member of the Augustan Federation and a founding member of the Conference of Eastern States (CES).

History
Lambatan history is separated into three categories: the geopolitical history of the lands currently held by Lambat, the history of Lambat as a political entity, and the history of the people of Lambat.

CivClassic before Lambat (before December 2020)
The land currently hosting Lambat was historically occupied by various nation states. Evidence of older civilizations can be found due to the presence of numerous abandoned cities and structures, the most prominent being the ruins of Arstotzka and the intact Appomattoxan city of Antietam (not to be confused by an Icenian settlement of the same name). The continent was claimed by Appomattox as late as March 2020, while the Southern Islands belonged to Brennau. By May, both nations have disappeared from the server.

An island in the southeast, Manuel Quezon (formerly Burma), was once claimed by Caledonia.

Origins of Lambat (December 2020 - January 2021)
The roots of Lambat stemmed from an unnamed LAN world, where kaprediem and banyough colonized a village and named it Kabanuan Town. After the unexplained deaths of villager residents, the duo made an effort to build a railway network extending to other villages across the continent, aiming to import new residents. The project was a mild success, after two villagers were brought to Kabanuan. It was around this time when kaprediem discovered CivClassic and decided to embark on a mission to establish a colony.

Free State of Lambat (January 13 - February 12 2021)
Kaprediem joined the server on the 12th of January, 2021 and presumably spawned within the realm of Imperial Truidence. After aimlessly wandering through the vast swampland, he reached Gensokyo and boarded on a train to Nyasaland. There he was raided by a fleet of phantoms and killed, before respawning within Nyasaland. Eventually, he decided to settle in the continent formerly inhabited by Appomattox.

On the 13th of January, while in transit, kaprediem established the Free State of Lambat and called upon the assistance of Banyough, in order to initiate construction activities, ushering the birth of a new nation state. The country opened its doors to immigration a week later. Within the last two weeks of January, Kaprediem embarked on a goodwill visit to the nations of Iria, Icenia, Cortesia Del Mar, and EM.

At its height, Lambat's population grew to four. Citizens were outnumbered by sheep, although no official census has been administered.

Lambat acceded to DUMP on the 31st of January, 2021. It initially declined after being invited by EM, due to Lambat's status as a newly-established nation. Around the same day, Lambat incorporated the abandoned lands of Western Arztotzka, Impor, Ewell, and the northern islands of Brennau (excluding a vault of unknown ownership), tripling its territorial size.

During the last week of the Free State, a surge of hostile mobs were reported after admin tweaks. Kaprediem declared a state of emergency, prohibiting entry to Lambat.

Cortesian Administration (February 2 - February 12 2021)
Days later, on February 2, Kaprediem proclaimed the dissolution of Lambat, after what was described as a "CivClassic speedrun". To this effect, the nation broke its alliance with DUMP. The City of Lambat was ceded to Cortesia Del Mar for protection.

On February 8, the Lambat Government-in-Exile was announced by Kaprediem in a Reddit post, raising an intention to return to CivClassic at an unspecified date. The statement also declares severing ties with DUMP, upholding neutrality, and imposing isolationism, while reaffirming its waiving of territorial rights to CDM's custodianship.

The Second Republic (February 13 - May 4 2021)
After assessing the regional situation, Kaprediem announced the formation of the Republic of Lambat, a direct successor to the Free State of Lambat. Cortesia Del Mar returned Lambat's territory to the restored nation. It subsequently reaffirmed its claims in a post on r/Lambat. Upon the restoration of Lambat, Kaprediem announced his 'Five-Point, Five-Month Agenda'. On February 16, Kaprediem enacted the Lambat Citizenship Law, which allows dual citizenship.

On February 22, Lambat laid its claim on an uninhabited island in +,+, which it named as the New Kalayaan Islands Territory. It is intended to become a trading outpost.

Sack of Lambat City and Reconstruction (February 13 - Mid-March 2021)
President Kaprediem visited Mount September from February 19-21 with the intention of establishing permanent diplomatic relations. During his absence, activity in Lambat was extremely low. Upon his return, he found that Lambat City was pillaged by a group of bandits, causing the destruction of virtually all structures, such as the Executive Palace, the Town Hall, and the First National Factory. The raiders also looted a significant amount of diamonds and iron, among other valuables.

The incident gained international attention, prompting humanitarian, military, and intelligence support from Cortesia Del Mar, Icenia, Lusitania, and Mount September. One of the accused, namely Thomasvdbunt, was subdued and pearled by Icenian officials in former Mount Augusta. Kaprediem requested to the Septemberian government that the accused be extradited to Icenia for trial. Reconstruction efforts in Lambat continued for around two weeks.

Construction boom and expansion (Mid-March - May 2021)
Weeks after the reconstruction, Lambat ushered in a period of increased economic activity. Several new buildings and factories were built, most notably the Lambat Rail Station, which connects the country to international destinations. In April 2021, Kaprediem reorganized Lambat City's counties into districts and expanding its borders to the western coast of Lake Ewell. In the same month, Lambat signed a grant from the Augustan Development Bank.

With the influx of newfriends and rapid urbanization of Lambat, the nation entered an unprecedented era of growth and prosperity, therefore several adjustments had to be made. The National Reconstruction Council was abolished and succeeded by the State Ministry, an executive and legislative council with members appointed by the President. The City of Lambat was incorporated through a charter, leading to the nation's first elections. Kaprediem and Kloudei were elected as mayor and councilor, respectively.

First and second Presidential terms of Kaprediem (May 8 - August 31)
On the 4th of May, Lambatans ratified their constitution with a vote of 7-0, changing their nation's form of government from oligarchy to democracy. Elections were held in the 15th of May; Kaprediem won and became the first democratically-elected president, while CommradePotatoe and Yodabird19 were chosen as judges. The Third Republic became a period of rapid expansion, with the Lambatan population rising to 42 as of July 2021.

On the 24th of June 2021, Vesteria was created as an autonomous territory of Lambat, being headed by CommradePotatoe. The following month, the second Lambat City local elections resulted in Hills4Real's mayorship, after Kaprediem opted to not pursue another term. Private businesses such as Artificial Enterprises (brewing) and Delta Mart (agriculture and retail) were founded during this period. The special build district of Vigan was also established under the management of KurtTheFruit and F_aint.

In late July 2021, Kaprediem declared a day-long state of emergency, as a consequence of a heated bounty-placing incident between then-Defense minister minemaster933 and citizens of Columbia and Kallos. Fearing escalation and a possible spillover, Kaprediem announced the closure of borders, temporary suspension of citizenship applications, and a travel ban for citizens of Lambat. The Cabinet was also subsequently reshuffled, replacing minemaster933 with Ch1pr as the Minister of Defense. In addition, Kaprediem handed over his positions as Minister of Interior and Minister of State to Yodabird19 and CommradePotatoe, respectively.

The constitution was revised for the third time. Amendments include the creation of the position of Vice President. removal of the mandatory government allowance. and abolition of the Ministry of Arts and Culture. ArtificialDriver was elected as Vice President alongside Kaprediem under the Citizens' Action Party in the second presidential election, defeating candidate InvertedMind and CommradePotatoe of the Commerce and Industry Party by a vote of 12 against 8.

Two international rail lines were built during this period: the Pacem-Monterrey-Lambat Line and the L-Line, the latter connecting Lambat to fellow Augustan Consortium nations Gabon and Lusitania.

In August, the neighboring Socialist Commune of Islands was integrated into Lambat and became its second autonomous region. This is the first and only time a sovereign state was voluntarily annexed by Lambat. The SCI was renamed Greater Duskwood. Its founder and leader 4pocalypse4risen remains as its governor.

On the 27th of August 2021, Kaprediem announced his resignation due to personal reasons. ArtificialDriver succeeded him as the second Presdient of Lambat, ending Kaprediem's 8-month rule. CommradePotatoe became the second Vice President after being briefly nominated the Chief Justice, as per the constitution's rules of succession.

Geographical expansion
Besides Lambat's expansion into Greater Duskwood, the territory of Salakot was divided into the Province of Salakot del Norte and the Territory of Salakot del Sur. Former Cocoan Prime Minister AK built a settlement in the eastern coast of mainland Lambat; this became the town of Kapreborough. The Province of Foytic Tabmal also began development under the efforts of Banyough, Helleonov, and Kloudei.

October griefing incidents
Several isolated griefing incidents occurred in October, targeting downtown Lambat, Foytic Tabmal, and Greater Duskwood. At least two citizens were slain during this period by a suspected alt-raider.

Fifth Constituent Assembly
The fifth revision of the constitution was passed by a 8-0 vote on the 9th of November 2021. The amendments extensively reformed Lambat's government by introducing a legislative body, called the National Assembly; introducing a term limit of two consecutive terms for both the President and Vice President; changing the line of succession to include the Speaker of the National Assembly as well as individual members of the Cabinet; and, restriction of foreign officials from serving in key executive government positions, among others.

At the same time, Ministries were renamed 'Departments', abandoning initial plans to pattern the government after the French semi-presidential system headed by a President and Prime Minister.

Solidification of the Two Party System
ArtificialDriver's presidency saw the development of interparty competition and debate in Lambat. During kaprediem's first two terms, Lambatan politics had largely behaved as a |rubber stamp; most bills and iniatives were passed and supported overwhelmingly, most elections were not competitive, parties were inconsequential, and in cases where opposition did exist, it would be cordially resolved before any voting occurred. The ArtificialDriver administration, by contrast, was beset by frequent unresolved debates over the future direction of Lambat. Perennial arguments over issues such as military development, diplomatic direction, and "the core values of Lambat" (a phrase oft repeated) marked a change in the Lambatan political atmosphere. These issues quickly ossified into a two-party system. The formation of the Lambat Ascension Party - a successor to InvertedMind's Commerce and Industry Party, dedicated to "realizing the growth and development potential of Lambat" - created for the first time a serious competitor to the Citizens' Action Party, and assumed the more radical positions in these debates. The CAP - the party of Lambat's original founders, which had been the sole serious party in the nation until this point - assumed the conservative ones. The first test of this newfound division was on September 6th, 2021, when a suggestion by ImperatorMendes to use a Lambatan world download for the purposes of combat training was put to a public vote by yodabird19 of LAP. The bill sparked 72 hours (the length of a bill vote) of controversy in Lambat, before ultimately being defeated 6-9. One of ArtificialDriver's last acts as President came on October 31, 2021, when he removed yodabird19 from his position as Minister of Defense, just two weeks before Lambat's Presidential, Judicial, Legislative, and Local elections were due to coincide in an intense November election season.

November 2021 Lambatan elections
The November elections were the biggest that Lambat had ever seen, both in terms of the number of positions up for election (the recent creation of the National Assembly created yet another election to take place in November) and in terms of turnout (35 ballots were cast in the national elections, over 52% of the entire citizenry of the nation). These elections were the first party-centric elections that Lambat had had (previous elections saw little to no "toeing the party line", although in August there was a slimmer margin between Kaprediem and CAI candidate InvertedMind), and saw the first use of propaganda by both parties. The November election season kicked off with CommradePotatoe's candidacy announcement on November 9, backed by the LAP. kaprediem followed up with the same two days later, backed by the CAP. This battle continued through to the opening of elections on November 20th. The November elections had two competitive races: President and City Mayor. The Assembly and City Council elections were not competitive, and the Judicial elections were exempt from party involvement due to the constitutional impartiality of judges. Ultimately, the CAP took both elections: kaprediem beat CommradePotatoe for the Presidency 22-13, and 4pocalypse4risen beat Hills4Real for the mayorship 10-7. The November 2021 Lambatan elections are generally considered a blowout victory for the CAP, who as a result of them controlled the Presidency, Lambat City, and the Assembly.

Etymology
The country's name is derived from the Filipino (a standardized form of Tagalog) word for fishing net.

Structure
The President serves as the head of state and government. Under the constitution, the president is an elected position who may serve for a three-month term, and may be reelected for unlimited times. The President of Lambat holds considerable executive power compared to its counterparts in the Augustan Federation. They may also enact orders (executive orders) that have sweeping effects on the executive branch's legislation. The executive branch is further divided into several ministries.

Legislative power is vested upon the National Assembly, an elected representative legislature, and the citizenry, through direct democracy. Laws are proposed and voted upon directly by citizens and representatives and ratified or vetoed by the president. The constitution provides for the establishment of a legislative assembly, which may be convened upon the people's will.

The Supreme Court is the primary judicial arm of Lambat and follows the civil law tradition, with common law influences.

Legislation
See: List of Legislation in the Free State of Lambat

Elections
Elections are regularly held with scattered intervals. The President is elected every three months; judges are voted on every third Sunday with two-month intervals. The Mayor and councilors of Lambat City are elected every two months. All elections use the rank-choice voting method.

Political parties
The Citizen's Action Party (CAP) is Lambat's current ruling party. Despite this, the government of Lambat comprises of members of several political parties.

Historical political parties

 * Lambat National Party (LNP) - Formed and dissolved in January 2021 as Lambat's sole ruling party by Kaprediem. Evolved into the CAP.
 * Commerce and Industry Party (CAI) - Formed by Invertedmind in August 2021. Known for competing in the second Presidential elections. Assumed to be dissolved due to its members moving to form LAP and Invertedmind's departure from Civclassic.
 * Lambat Nationalist Party (LNTP) - A party formed by then-citizen Ch1pr. LNTP is not known to have fielded any candidates in elections. Possibly dissolved due to inactivity and lack of members.
 * Lambat Trolling Party (LTP) - Former Lambat City Mayor Hills4real's party. Its main ideology is trolling. The party's existence is disputed due to its founder and sole member's participation in LAP.

Ideology and political philosophy
Lambat's values are described in its "Four Freedoms": freedom of speech, freedom of faith, freedom from want, and freedom from oppression. It is a liberal democracy in principle.

Economy and infrastructure
Lambat is a predominantly agricultural nation, supplemented by mining. The government plans to open its economy to foreign businesses in order to bolster growth within the country and in the region. Iron and diamond are both used as currency for international date, while a barter system is practiced domestically. The country uses a floating exchange rate where the value of iron is dependent on the supply of diamonds (and vice versa).

Transportation
Lambat is connected to the multi-junction KANI Railway System and the L-Line direct system. The country is one of the signatories to the L-Line Treaty.

History of transportation
Until March 2021, the country was mainly served by dirt roads. Boat was the most preferred method of outbound travel, since there were no active railways.

Lambat was served by the Lambat Colonial Line, a series of both new and repurposed railways established by CommradePotatoe, which has stops in all Lambatan territories except for North Vacari, which is accessible through the Nexus-Iria line. The LBCL was later merged into the KANI system.

After a directive posted by the then Minister of the Interior, Kaprediem, Lambat has spearheaded railway construction to Pacem and Rainer and is constructing rails to Lusitania, Lumière, and Gabon.

Communications
The Lambat Post is a state-owned newspaper, irregularly published at least once a month. It mainly features news and exchange rate updates.

Geography
Mainland Lambat is situated in the far south of Nuevo Luzon, a landmass once occupied by several historical nations, including Appomattox, Nyasaland, and Brennau. It is bordered by Iria to the east and Monterrey (through the Old Georgia Colony) to the west. The southwestern portion is covered in sand dunes, while the rest of the terrain is a varied mix of temperate hills and plains. Settled north is the city of Antietam, the former capital of Appomattox. Most fauna consists of feral pigs, cattle, horses, and sheep. Oak and dark oak are native to the country, while acacia is a prominent introduced species. Lambat has retained the historical names of some geographical features.

It has one exclave in the Southeast (+,+), called New Kalayaan Islands, a directly administered territory.

Lambat City
Main article: City of Lambat

Lambat City serves as the capital of the Republic of Lambat. It is the center of most activities in the country.

Lambat City was once divided into three districts: namely West, Central, and East County, until it was reorganized in April 2021. Its city charter was enacted through Presidential Decree 11 on April 30, 2021.

Vesteria
Main article: Vesteria

Active settlements and outposts

 * New Athol - Lambat's second settlement, built on the east coast of Lake Ewell.
 * Kapreborough - A settlement founded in late September 2021 by ex-Capeland PM AK. Named after Kaprediem.
 * Stanistan - Also called Bender, is a small settlement outside Kapreborough created by IceBoy in late august.
 * Sitio Palayok - A terracotta mining facility in West Arztotska.
 * Kalayaan - Future trading post located in the New Kalyaan Islands. Currently used as a sand mining and cactus farming facility.
 * East Arztotska. An abandoned town adorned with Soviet-style architecture, now partially included in Lambat City proper.

Other locations

 * Fort Mariposa. Once an off-limits Appomattoxan fortification, it is now a historical site preserved by Lambat. It is surrounded by plantations and gardens.

Demographics
The population of Lambat as of July 31st 2021 is 43. Lambat's census also accounts for non-resident citizens.



Foreign relations
See: Foreign relations of Lambat

The country has established diplomatic relations with several nations. Lambat established its first embassy in Mount September on February 22, 2021 and has plans to build embassies in Icenia and Capeland. The country also has friendship treaties with Capeland and Lusitania.

In May 29th, 2021, Lambat joined the Augustan Federation as part of the Augustan Consortium. Within the same week, in June 2nd, Lambat became a member of the Conference of Eastern States.

Lambat was a member of the Defense Union for Mutual Prosperity (DUMP) for two days in February 2021.

Languages
English is the most common language used in Lambat, followed by Filipino (Tagalog) and sometimes Portuguese. Lambat's bilingual nature has led to the development of culturally-specific jargon, based on the Tagalog language:


 * Awts - From the English word ouch, used in similar context to "oof".
 * Bano - Filipino equivalent of noob or newfriend.
 * Bawal - Means prohibited.
 * Gege - A contracted form of "sige", an expression of approval similar to "ok" or "sure". It is sometimes used sarcastically as a response to a bad joke or statement, in the same nature as dot posting (.).
 * Gurang - Filipino equivalent of boomer or oldfriend.
 * Ihi - Literally translates to "urine". Used as a code word for obsidian and obbyboming, inspired by a civball comic about Southshire's history.
 * Perlas - Literally "pearl", refers to end pearls and eyes of ender.
 * Uling - Coal.
 * Tulog - Sleep.
 * Magandang umaga - Good Morning.
 * Sinumpaan - Filipino for cursed.
 * Bonj hour - Bastardization of the French Bonjour invented on a voice chat by Banyough. Common Lambatan greeting.
 * Ngipin-pandikit - Tagalog doesn't have a word for toothpaste, so Metriximor and Banyough invented one by mixing the words Ngipin (teeth) and pandikit (paste/glue). From this, Metriximor invented the jingle "Ngipin-pandikit malusog ngipin!" by accident while trying to say "Colgate toothpaste healthy teeth!"

Flag, Coat of Arms, and Seal


The nation's flag is a banner with five horizontal stripes in alternating blue and yellow with a red triangle in the hoist side. The colors red, yellow, and blue symbolize poppies, dandelions, and lapis lazuli, which are abundant in Lambat. Kaprediem refers to the flag as the Ness Flag, due to similarities in color with Earthbound's main protagonist.

The coat of arms as well as the seal bears the same colors as Lambat's flag, with the chevron defaced with the Baybayin (old Tagalog) character for the latter 'L' or 'La'. Its shapes is based on the kalasag, a traditional Filipino shield dating from the pre-colonial period.

Potistan's de facto national flag was inspired by the Lambatan flag.

Motto
Lambat's official motto is "Bawal Umihi Dito", a Tagalog phrase meaning "do not urinate here". In real life, it is commonly found written on signboards and walls in order to discourage public urination. The motto originated as an inside joke among Tagalophone Lambatans and was eventually popularized by Metriximor, who has since made it a bill to become the official Lambatan Motto. It has since become an inside joke among Lambatans in the nation's official Discord server and the official motto of the nation.

The nation's first motto was "Amor Libertas", a Latin phrase roughly meaning "Love for Liberty". It can still be found in Lambat's coat of arms.

National Anthem
On January 15, 2021, Lambat adapted its national anthem, simply titled "Lambat National March", which was composed by Kaprediem. The anthem has no lyrics, and there are currently no plans to add one.

Memes

 * Bawal Umihi Dito - See above.


 * Jolliglad - A variation of the Glad Civmoji created by Kaprediem. It is a hybrid of Glad and Jollibee, the mascot of an eponymous Filipino fast food chain. Despite being popular in Lambat, it was first posted in the Lusitania Discord server.

Notable citizens

 * kaprediem - Founder and incumbent President
 * banyough - Co-founder of Lambat and former Minister of Agriculture, Forest, and Mining
 * Shanaaro - Former Minister of Defense; one of the first citizens of Lambat
 * Kloudei - Minister of Arts and Culture; Councilor, Lambat City; first elected official besides the Mayor of Lambat City
 * Metriximor - King of Lusitania; credited for popularizing Bawal Umihi Dito
 * Yodabird19 - Vice President of Cortesia Del Mar; de facto custodian of Lambat during the Cortesian Government Administration perio
 * NebulaSSR - First Lambatan with multiple citizenships
 * Thraldrek - Mayor of Mount September
 * Commrade Potatoe - First Chief Justice; Minister of Industry and Trade; Pacem-native entrepreneur; founder of Commrade Potatoe's Dye Shop in Pacem and Icenia
 * ArtificialDriver - First Vice President of Lambat; Owner of Artificial Enterprises
 * SpacemanSpleef - Holds one of the highest number of citizenships on classics, helped found Vesteria, owner and CEO of multinational company Spleef Corp