The Kingdom of the Gulf is a micronation founded in August 2016. The Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, that divides the powers of goverment to between the Parliament and the Royal Court. The nation is unique due to the fact that it's King is a dog.

Etymology

The Kingdom's name came about from local geography, for the Kingdom is located near the Gulf of Mexico.

History

The Kingdom was founded in August 2016, when King Max the First was crowned the eternal ruler of the Gulf, after the collapse of the of previous Government, The Gulf Republic. Shortly afterward, Quinn was selected to be the Crown's Executive Officer, and got to work on drafting the national Constitution. It was also during this time a website was put under development, and the Royal Province surveyed and declared as the first Province.

It would be in the year of 2017, when the Constitution was finished, and the first elections were held. Three parties came into power: the Loyalist, The Liberals, and the Care-About-Nothing Party. The loyalist supported the king, and his rule, while the Liberals stood in opposition to this, and fought for a more democratic form of goverment. The CANP stood true to their name, and had no stance on any issue. In face, there is no record of them attending any sessions of Parliament. It was at this time the first colonies where being formed as well.

In the beginning of 2018, the 1st Parliament slowed progress and became idle, leaving the nation without a legislative body. The King and his Offices took charge during this time, and kept the goverment of the nation running during this time. Towards the end of the year, it proved that it would be impossible to hold re-elections, and fill the parliament. on January the first, the King and His Executive Officer official dissolved the first Parliament.

In the official announcement, the King declared that a set of reforms would begin, that would lead to the re-writing of the Constitution an change how the goverment operated, as in order to prevent Parliament from having a massive collapse again. It is during this period of reform the the Kingdom currently finds itself in.

On January 27, 2019 The Crown announced a knew system of Government. The Parliament was abolished, and in it's place would be a Body of Governors. Every Providence and Colony would have a Govenor, who would deal with the territories internal issues, as well represent them in votes at the Imperial Palace.

Government and Politics

Government System

The Government is divided into two bodies: the Parliament and the Royal Court.

Parliament is in charge of drafting bills of law, and is lead by a Prime Minister. The Royal Court is given the power to approve bills, hold executive power, and serve as chief judicial court. They are lead by the Executive Officer of the Crown, who serves as the de facto leader of the nation, on behalf of the King.

All goverment offices and services must be legally done in the King's name, leading to the following Offices being formed:

- The Office of the Crown (The Personal Staff of the King)

- The Office of State (Deals with domestic issues)

- The Office of Foreign Affairs

- The King's Guard (The National Defense Force)

- The Office of Currency (Banking and Finance)

- The Office of Law (National Law enforcement and Law Bar)

Each office is lead by an Officer of the Crown, who is traditionally selected by the Executive Officer of the Crown. However, if parliament brings forth an individual they would like to see hold the office, the Executive tends to pick that individual.

Provinces and Colonies

The Kingdom is made up of two types of territories: Provinces and Colonies. Each is ran by a Governor. For provinces, Governors are elected by the people. In colonies, the Governor is selected by the King.

Court System

The Courts system in the Kingdom is divided into three parts: Lower, High, and Royal. All ruling and decisions made by the court are on the King's behalf.

The Low and High Courts are similar to traditional Courts. They serve both legal and civil matters, and are ran by a Judge, who serves on the King's behalf. Individuals, in legal cases, have the right to a lawyer and will be provided one by the Office of Law if needed. However, individuals do not have the right to trial by Jury. All verdicts are made by a Judge. Verdicts may be appealed to a higher court, until they reach the Royal Court.

The Royal Court serves as the supreme court pf the Kingdom, and is made up of all the Kingdom's nobles. All verdicts made by the Royal Court can only be appealed by the King Himself.

Foreign Relations

The Kingdom is currently not a member of any organizations, alliances or wars. The Kingdom is however, seeking membership to organizations and alliances at this time.

The King's Guard

The King's Guard is the national defense force of the nation. It is organized into three standard divisions: Land, Sea and Air. The King and his Executive Officer are the official Commander-In-Chiefs of the Guard. Under them, is the Guard's Lord Commander, a noble who is the highest ranking military officer. Under the Lord Commander, are the Commanders of each division: Land has the Lord General, Sea has the Lord Admiral, and Air has the Lord Commodore.

At this time, the Guard consist of 1 Land Company, 1 Ship, and 1 Drone.

Geography

The Kingdom is located on the Gulf Coast Region of the United States. The Kingdom has green fields, a dry area known as the "Bad Lands" and a small wooded area. It also has one national park: Bad Lands National Park. It includes the only nature trail in the Kingdom: Trail 1.

The climate can be described as sub-tropical. This leads to humid and warm summers, and comparatively warm winters. Thunderstorms are a year-round occurrence, and tornadoes and Hurricanes prove to be unique problems to the Kingdom. Due to the rain, floods also may occur from time to time.

At this time, the Kingdom has started work on a weather service, to keep track of and give warning of inclement weather.

Economy

The national currency is the Sand Dollar (SND), however the US Dollar (USD) is also commonly accepted.

The Kingdom citizens work outside it's borders, in the United States. Due to this, the Kingdom welcomes and encourages dual citizenship, and has an open boarder policy, allowing US citizens to leave and enter the Kingdom as they wish. The Kingdom primarily gains it's wealth from citizen taxes, which are used to help support the operations of Government, and to buy imports from the US.

The largest export of the Kingdom is bird houses, and creative projects (such as writing, art and design).

Culture

The culture of the Kingdom is based around the regional culture of the Gulf Coast region, and has strong ties with the City of New Orleans and of the Gulf of Mexico. Gulfians are known for holding several parties, with the King conducting several state functions himself. Festivals are common throughout the year, and include food, music, and general celebration. Gulfians also enjoy the outdoors, with camping being the national past time. Esports and American Football are very popular among the Gulfian population, with the NFL and Overwatch League being widely watch.

The National seal is the gold fleur dis le, harking back to the Francophone roots of the region. The national animal is the pelican, to symbolize the Gulf of Mexico. The National anthem is "Ocean Man" by Ween. The King's Anthem is All Star (The Shrek Retold Cover.)

Languages

The Kingdom has three official languages: English, French, and Esperanto. English is the most commonly spoken, and considered the regional language. French comes form the Gulf's historical background of being a French Territory, ad Esperanto was selected due to it's goal of world unity, a goal that the King agrees with. In the Kingdom, all documents are produced in all 3 languages by request, and all citizens are required to have a base level of understanding in one of these languages.

National Holidays

Name Date Remarks New Year's Day 1 January The beginning of the year in the Georgian Calendar. Public holiday. April Fools 1 April Day of pranks and festivals. Valentines Day 14 February Day of Love and Happiness. National Park's Day 13 March Day to celebrate the founding of the national parks. King's Day 16 August Day to celebrate the crowning of King Max the First. Public Holiday. Victory Day 15 August Day to celebrate victory over the Gulf Republic. Public Holiday. Christmas Day 25 December Celebration of Winter Holiday Season. Public Holiday.

Media

The Kingdom has a Government ran news network, called the King's Word, that reports the actions of the Government to the people, The Kingdom does recognize the free exchange of ideas however, and gives it's citizens the freedom of speech and press.