Ekafstan

Political Geography
Ekafstan is a small poor republic on the Black Sea. It has a land mass of only 1223 km . As a part of the USSR the republic had little to offer, apart from one costal area as a resort for members of the Politburo. Since Perestroika and the break up of the USSR Ekafstan has worked peacefully for full independence.
Currently it is not recognised by the United Nations as a country due to its main agricultural export and a developing banking sector which is on the UN Blacklist.
Economy
The country has a predominantly agrarian economy, with a population of nearly 87,000 people. The degree of urbanization is low with the capital city,Eslafkek, having a population of 21,000. The movement of people within the republic is restriced due to a very poor road infrastructure and a government that continues to have a controlled centralist economy.
The main working currency found in the region is the Ekafstan rouble (Er). All visitors to the country are required to carry out all transactions with the Ekafstan rouble, since no foregin currency is allowed within the republic's borders.
The chief industrial export from Ekafstan is the spring used in cheap ball point pens. This accounts for over 30% of the official GDP. This product is made solely for export to earn foreign currency and support the government's centralist economy. Most of the production is for use within neighbouring republics. The main agricultural export is cannabis, for which there are no reliable figures regarding the income. The government supports the farming community in the growing and export of this crop. The UN and Interpol have opposed the recognition of Ekafstan as a country on the basis of this governmental support for the growing and export of this crop.
Politics
The country is a single socialist party republic. The Head of the Party is the Head of State. The current Head of State is Askar Bakiev. He has been resident of ekafstan since regional elections in 2003. There is a maximum two terms of office each lasting 5 years. His re-election in 2008 went unopposed.
There is an opposition, but it is generally ineffective and poorly organised. It is composed primarily of disaffected farmers.
Demographics
Ekafstan would be the smallest of the former USSR states, were it to be officially recognised. The population is over 95% indigenous with the remainder being Russian 3% and Turkish 2%. The official language in the region is Ekafstani, although many citizens have standard Russian through the education system. The Russian is highly divergent from the standard form Religion is disapproved of by the State, although it is not officially banned, and so there are few churches or mosques open in Ekafstan.

Figures indicate that 7% of the population professes religion with 85.6% being Russian Orthodox and the remainder predominantly Moslem. There are a few places of worship tolerated near the country's borders, but these are mainly attended by older members of society.
Ekafstanis have an average life expectancy at birth of 59.68 years (56.1 years for males; 63.28 years for females). The infant mortality rate is 8.64 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to recent estimates. The literacy rate of Ekafstan is 38%
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