Sawdustistan
Sawdustistan | |||||||||
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 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: "This Used to be a Joke Nation" | |||||||||
| Anthem: "Sadu National Anthem"
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| Capital | Sawdustigrad | ||||||||
| Largest city | Norgharghan | ||||||||
| Official languages | English | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Sawdus/Sadus (plural) Sawdu/Sadu (singular) | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional democratic republic | ||||||||
• Prime Minister of Sawdustistan | Rosemary Standley | ||||||||
• Speaker of the Sadu Committee | Adam Koehler | ||||||||
• Prime Justice of Sawdustistan | Armen Nazarian | ||||||||
| Legislature | Sawdu Committee | ||||||||
| Establishment | 17 October 2016 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 0.470 km2 (0.181 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 2023 census | 60 | ||||||||
| HDI | 0.919 very high | ||||||||
| Currency | Sadar • United States Dollar | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) | ||||||||
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Sawdustistan, officially the Republic of Sawdustistan, is a micronation located in Central Ohio. It was founded in Granville, later expanding to Newark and establishing unincorporated protectorates in California and the Baltic.
Etymology
The name of Sawdustistan originates from the combination of the English word "Sawdust" and the Persian suffix "istan". Sawdustistan translates to "The Land of Sawdust", although locally it is known as "The Land of the Black Sawdust" from the origin story of The Squadom of Sawdustistan and the appearance of the country's landscapes during snowy days.
History
Origins of Sawdustistan
In early 2015 an isolated hearth area of dozen small micronations had emerged within the area around Granville, Ohio. By July 2015, Staskhaikstan was founded within Granville, Ohio, by Armen Nazarian and Logan Courtney. Throughout it's year-long history, Staskhaikstan was mostly stagnant. However, the nation designed a flag, a capital in present day Sawdustigrad, and established diplomatic relations with the nearby micronation of Fianna which was led by Ethan Hendrickson. Half a year after its founding, Staskhaikstan was disbanded in early 2016. The remnants of Staskhaikstan would later be used in the framework of Sawdustistan.
In October 2016, four friends; Armen Nazarian, Adam Koehler, Cora McVey-Steele, and Abby Knobeloch formed a clique named the SQUAD, later shortened to SQUA. Shortly after, the SQUA was reorganized into the Clique of Sawdustistan after a group art project focusing on black dyed sawdust. The Clique of Sawdustistan was established on the land where a square meter pile of black sawdust stood for a month before the land of Sawdustistan was annexed by the Spanish. Sawdustistan was originally established as a joke, however over the next years it culminated into something much more elaborate than initially intended.
The Squadom
In January 2017, Sawdustistan was in a state of crisis following the seizure of their homeland. However, the government of Sawdustistan stubbornly refused to capitulate. The Sawdu Government-In-Exile decided to spearhead a program known as the New Land Initiative in order to establish a new homeland for the country. The Sawdu government formed an oligarchic administration, officially known as the Squadom of Sawdustistan. Afterwards, the Squadom of Sawdustistan claimed the island of Ogurja Ada off the coast of Turkmenistan with the capital being located on the northern tip named Sawdustibôd. Sawdustistan declared war on Turkmenistan over Ogurja Ada, however ceased its claim after a 3 months.
In August 2017, the Squadom of Sawdustistan was split into two separate nations. East Sawdustistan led by Cora and Abby, and West Sawdustistan, led by Armen and Adam. The decision to split the state was decided on the basis of poor communication between the two parts of Sawdustistan at the time (Which is an elegant way of saying our lockers weren't next to each other) and the desire to be more efficient by allowing both sides of the country to make decisions independently. In November 2017, the decision was reversed and the East and West were unified once again and formed the Neo-Squadom of Sawdustistan. The reunification brought with it the tradition of weekly meetings of government officials and sparked of the creation of a new cultural identity within the nation based on the blending of West Asian and European ideas along with Animistic beliefs, later culminating in theologies such as Themism.
In June 2018, the Neo-Squadom of Sawdustistan constructed its first permanent capital of Sawdustibad and formed the Sawdustistan Defense Army to defend its land from future invasions. On 4 July 2018, all of the citizens invaded and occupied part of the nearby village of Granville, Ohio, however during the invasion, Abby "betrayed" and left Sawdustistan and joined Granville. Without supplies, Sawdustistan was forced to stop its occupation. In September 2018, the capital was moved to the city of Paytigrad (north of present day Sawdustigrad) following it's construction by engineers from the Defense Army. Paytigrad was tragically destroyed by the First Great Flood the same day Paytigrad was constructed. The Engineers held out in the sinking city for 3 hours and attempted to repair the damage, however the flood completely decimated the capital and the Defense Army was forced to withdraw until the next day. The following day, Armen and Adam engineered the new capital of Sawdustigrad (south of the city of Paytigrad) at a higher elevation and closer to the coast of Lake Sawvan.
Beginning of The Republic
In January 2019, President Ethan Hendrickson of Fianna, Incorporated Fianna into Sawdustistan. Ethan took charge of Sawdustistan's policy and reorganized the country into a more functional micronation as opposed to a joke nation. Ethan set about further integration and centralization of all territories closer into Sawdustistan, organizing them into provinces. By this period of time, Sawdustistan had absorbed nearly every other micronation in the Granville area.
After a week in January of considerable progress, the major government officials; Armen, Adam, Ethan, and Logan Courtney "took a break" and led the Sawdustistan Expeditions to map and survey the newly integrated provinces and territories within Sawdustistan. The Expedition Corp explored and mapped the vast woods and steep ridges of Fianna, the desolate hills of Buschland, and the swampish jungle of Kolechia. On 13 February 2019, Ethan began drafting the constitution, which was finished in a mere few days. The constitution was ratified and signed on May 5, 2019, officially beginning the Republic of Sawdustistan.
Golden Age
Between February and May 2019, a chaotic event occurred in which Ethan put Sawdustistan as a location on Google Maps listed as a tourist attraction, however Armen did not like how his house was marked as a tourist attraction. The Committee of Sawdustistan attempted to remove the location from Google Maps, however the request never went through. The event was leaked from Sadu intelligence and became infamous in the local school that Sawdu citizens attended. Dozens of people became interested in visiting Sawdustistan.
The new-found exposure of Sawdustistan at the local school had two effects. First, the exposure opened Sawdustistan to a large population pool to recruit dozens of citizens from. Second, it led to the interest of Sawdustistan's number one enemy, Justin Buttermore. Buttermore was an American nationalist and the World History teacher of Ethan and Armen. Buttermore was infamous for the systematic discrimination of Sawdu citizens and those interested in Sawdustistan by harassing committee members about Sawdustistan during his class and fabricating insane false statements about the nation. Such remarks include the fabrication that the nation was "a cult that kidnaps people for sacrifices". Buttermore's attempts to sway people away from Sawdustistan failed as it unintentionally gave Sawdustistan more legitimacy, exposure, and support from the insanity of the statements coming from him. These events triggered the Buttermore Proxy War, best described as a game of cat and mouse between Buttermore and Sawdustistan. Sawdustistan attempted to advertise the nation and expand influence, as Buttermore attempted to do the opposite. After a year, the war ended in a decisive Sawdu victory as Sawdustistan quintupled its population and extended reach to hundreds of students. Buttermore conceded and left the school in utter defeat.
On 5 October 2019, a new micronation known as Sandastan, founded by Connor and Andrew, fellow students of Sawdustistan Officials, broke away from Sawdustistan. Sandastan claimed land west of Fianna and declared war on Sawdustistan. Ethan notified the Committee, which put the entire government into a frenzy. Armen and Ethan first attempted diplomacy to negotiate a peace treaty, however, they only got obscene responses back and confirmation of war. After failed diplomacy with Sandastan, another new unknown micronation named Rockistan was formed across the Raccoon Creek near Fianna. On October 19, the Sawdustistan Defense Army was mobilized to execute Operation Sandstone to invade and reincorporate Sandastan and Rockistan to eliminate the threat to their nation. The invasion force consisted of 1 infantry division of 4 soldiers led by Ethan. The Defense Army easily marched through Sandastan and Rockistan, reincorporating their land. Sawdustistan would later relinquish the territory of Sandastan as a crazy farmer claimed the land and threatened government officials with a lever action rifle on the winter solstice of 2019 for supposedly being on his land, despite geolocation evidence refuting the claim. In November 2019, the Sawdu government plastered propaganda posters all around the local school, gaining sixteen new citizens as a result. The same month, Sawdustistan established diplomatic ties and assisted in the nation building of a new micronation, founded by Elijah Goodman, named the Clockwerk Republic.
On November 9, the first Prime Minister election took place following a constitutional amendment creating the position. Ethan Hendrickson and Robert Gangwer were the candidates. The first Prime Minister Debate was held in Nazarivan on an Instagram livestream. After 35 minutes of debating, Robert was preforming better, however Ethan was considered more trustworthy and experienced within the nation. As a result, Ethan Hendrickson won in a landslide with a result of 5-0. Ethan then appointed Cora as the first Prime Justice immediately after taking office.
During Ethan's term, Sawdustistan went dormant as most officials lost interest in the government. The nation remained marginally active as The Feast of the Hog and The Winter Solstice Festival were celebrated for the first time. The second election was held in Svet, Fianna, at the beginning of February 2020. Ethan, Adam, and Armen ran as candidates for Prime Minister. Ethan preformed the best in the debate and won the election in a second landslide of 5-1. He promised to greatly improve Sawdustistan and make it a major power in the Micronation community. In a stroke of terrible luck, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and halted progress in Sawdustistan beginning the Era of Stagnation.
Era of Stagnation
The Era of Stagnation began on 13 March 2020, and lasted until December 2022. During this time the government was unproductive except for the few times after an election. Several elections and four different Prime Ministers were elected during this time, yet none of them could solve the stagnation happening within the nation. In July 2021, Armen, the current Prime Minister at that time, declared to put Sawdustistan in an indefinite hiatus and appointed the Hog as temporary Prime Minister during the hiatus.
Before the hiatus, there were some events that happened. One was on 13 July 2020, where the Foreign Ministry of Sawdustistan received dozens of bomb threats from Azerbaijani internet trolls traced back to the Azerbaijani government. In response, Sawdustistan created the Intelligence Division and voted on a caucus belli against Azerbaijan. After becoming a belligerent in the Second Artsakh War, Sawdustistan waged war for several months culminating in the Battle of Sawdustigrad in which Sawdustistan eradicated hundreds of accounts tied to state sponsored troll-farms in Baku and exposed a sensitive hacking plot to the public. By the end the battle ended in a decisive Sawdu victory.
The fifth election in early October 2020 resulted in a tie between Logan Courtney and Kristin Hall, leading to a National court case almost being held over the election before Kristin conceded her campaign. The next election ended in a tie as well between Ethan and Armen resulting in Armen conceding as well. After Armen became Prime Minister in April 2020, he created two state run companies, Cobb Industries and Sawdustifoundry. He also designed the one Sadar note and started the renovation of Sawdustigrad.
For a period of two years beginning in early 2021, no elections were held and activity in Sawdustistan plummeted to its lowest. This would continue until early December of 2022 when two foreign developments kicked Sawdustistan back into motion. Sawdustistan signed a treaty with the PFR of the Institute expanding relations and cultural cooperation leading to domestic improvements on the Sawdustistan discord server briefly boosting engagement to an all time high. Sawdustistan formally signed the Foundational Law of the Congress of Ohio Micronations leading to open and frequent dialogue between and trade cooperation between Sawdustistan and Northwood-Oregon.
Demographics
Sawdustistan has a population of 60 (2023 est.) and has an average population density of 124 per square kilometer. The vast majority of citizens are registered as residents of the capital of Sawdustigrad, however, the majority of residents are living in diaspora in the surrounding Greater Sawdustistan region.
Ethnic Groups
Ethnic Anglo and Celts make up 43.2% of the population. Germans make up 16.2% of the population, Vietnamese make up 5.4%, and minorities of Dutch, Italians, Poles, Ukrainians, Armenians, Persians, Tajiks, Euro-Japanese, Cambodians, African Sawdus, Peruvians, and Mi'kmaq comprise the remaining population.
In recent years there has been a small effort by Sawdu nationals to create a unique ethnic Sawdu identity based on a common set of new traditions and beliefs, however this effort has been only marginally successful.
Languages
English is the official language used by the vast majority of citizens and government officials, however, German, Russian, Vietnamese, Persian, Spanish, Mi'kmaq, and Armenian are spoken as second languages by a minority of citizens
Culture
Food
Food in Sawdustistan is incredibly varied from region to region though it's generally agreed upon that Norgharaghan, Nazaravan is the culinary capital of Sawdustistan taking heavy inspiration from Mediterranean, West Asian, and South Asian food with elements of Midwestern food mixed in. Sawdu food in Nazaravan is characterized by large quantities of herbs such as rosemary, cilantro, parsley, and thyme with a metric ton of spices such as cumin, turmeric, and paprika. Nazaravan is expected to open a bakery in 2021 after the completion of a brick oven called a tonir which can be used to bake many types of fresh flatbreads popular in the nation. In Nazaravan the most widely drunk beverage is tea, with the province holding the largest stockpile of foreign tea and the highest consumption in the nation.
Nazaravan is also responsible for introducing Sawdustistan to a beverage called Vimto which is imported from West Asia by the crate. The drink became widely popular after being a favored drink by the former minister of defense, Adam Koehler after visiting Nazaravan. Vimto is created using black currant, sugar, herbs, and carbonated water. In recent years Sawdustistan has manufactured its own Vimto though in a limited capacity. Sawdustistan has such an affinity for Vimto that the beverage even has its own folktale.
Outside Nazaravan the food is mostly similar to Midwestern cuisine with slight regional differences. In Svet, Fianna, only Oreo O's are consumed, nothing more nothing less. In Kolechia, the people only eat dogshit, though efforts to replicate the culinary experience in Nazaravan are being attempted by the governor of Kolechia. Food in Olestan draws inspiration of Eastern European food, with an acute fondness towards potatoes. Food in No'kma'ki draws inspiration from Native American cuisine, with frybread being widely popular throughout the Sawblast. In the Mörön Khanate the food is heavily influenced by East Asian cuisine, namely Vietnamese. The food in the capital is similar to Nazaravan with influences from all over the country, especially from Buschland and Olestan. Sawdustigrad has its own bar/ grill named the Screaming Snake which is the oldest restraunt in Sawdustistan and produces the majority of food for residents of Sawdustigrad. In Sawdustigrad food is produced from imports from all over the country mixed with local ingredients harvested from the forest including spring onions, walnuts, and mushrooms.
Festivals and Holidays
In Sawdustistan, conventional holidays popular in the Midwest and holidays practiced by any of the ethnic groups are commonly celebrated, however Sawdustistan also has many holidays and festivals unique to the nation that are celebrated alongside the more mainstream holidays. Most of these holidays came into the existence during the Cultural Renaissance of Sawdustistan, between 2018 and 2019.
| Holiday/ Festival | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Years | Jan 1 | Celebration of the beginning of the new year. |
| Expedition Day | Feb 10 | Commemoration of the Sadu expeditions in 2019. Citizens are encouraged to explore outside to celebrate. Symbolism associated with this holiday include: compass, hiking boots, and pine. |
| Republic Day | Feb 20 | Celebrating the foundation of The Land of Black Sawdust. Celebrated in Sawdustigrad with a military parade and speech by the prime minister. Symbolism associated with the holiday include: the log and saw, sawdust, and the national flag. |
| Spring Festival | Apr 20 | Celebrating the spring season. |
| Constitution Day | May 5 | Commemoration of the signing of the first constitution and establishment of the Republic of Sawdustistan. |
| Paper Burning (Harqaraqa) | Jun 1 | Festival celebrating the end of the school year. Citizens burn their work in a pyramid of paper to relieve stress. Symbolism associated with the holiday include: the bonfire. |
| Summer Solstice | Jun 20 | Celebration of the beginning of Summer. |
| Feast of the Hog (Kentronikhoz) | Nov 23 | Festival to celebrate the end of the harvest season. Citizens gather around a table with the statue of the hog situated at the center and eat a large feast. Sweet potato, meat and potato kotlets, and apple and cherry greens are some common dishes associated with the feast. Symbolism associated with the festival include: walnuts, maple, hedgehogs, and hawks. Popular festival events include: harvesting walnuts, Hogkart racing, and Wood carving competitions. |
| Winter Solstice (Pejipukpooripaev) | Dec 21 | Celebration of the beginning of Winter. Citizens gather at shrines and hang wishes on a paper up to be burned on a star staff pointed towards Polaris. Symbolism associated with the holiday include: the north star, red cedar, hemlock, Ursa Major, snowflakes, and the winter sun. Popular celebrations include: hiking, ice skipping, snowball skirmishes, solstice market with handcraft gifts, and vibing on the floor. |
Films and Media
Sawdustistan also has its own government-owned entertainment company named Sawdustistan Entertainment, where a handful of short films were written and produced. Right now there are only four released Sawdustistan movies, those being The Hog, The Buddha, and Genghis Khan vs the Aliens, and Joe Mama: The Movie. These films are widely loved within the Sawdu community and friends outside of it. There were other attempts to create other films in Sawdustistan such as Samuel Nguyen a John Wick spoof all around Samuel Nguyen, a well-known Sawdu figure. Sawdustistan The Movie based in an apocalypse setting with Themist creatures and spirits in the film. Pyrogorus a traditional Japanese monster movie like those of the older Godzilla movie and a remake of The Hog.
Sawdustistan Ministry of Culture also creates updates and infographics about Sawdustistan on Instagram. The Sawdustistan YouTube channel is the home for longer videos such as the previously discussed films, war propaganda, and other Sawdu related videos.
Art
Sawdustistan has a diverse and growing community of artists and craftsmen. Artists are supported by national efforts spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture, which utilizes artistic expression as a means to bolster the image of the country to the international community and expand influence. No'kma'ki produces the largest quantity of canvas paintings in the country. Sawdu canvas paintings usually contain nature and landscape motifs. Sawdu art isn't limited to canvas. Sawdu artists produce intricate banners hung on a string with complex geometric and organic patterns painted with acrylic paint to hang up on buildings. Woodcarving is also a common artistic medium in Sawdustistan because of the many forests that encompass the majority of the land. Baculums are ritualistic clubs/ staffs carved from hardwood (typically black walnut or oak) and painted with symbols and patterns reflecting the user and wound together with twine. In recent years, there is a larger amount of digital art being produced as a good chunk of the population has made the investment to purchase drawing tablets.
Folklore
Sawdu folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Sawdustistan as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture.
Sawdustistan's folk culture takes an unorthodox approach to the way it presents the nation's place in the world. Rather than presenting its myths and folklore as part of the global continuity of history it sees itself as isolated in it's own mythological continuity. Sawdustistan has it's own unique form of Animism assigning spirits to all aspects of the natural world. The most famous of these are the three sky spirits who divide the sky into three realms, namely; Amishu, Tufon, and Verin Sahmon. Another important spirit in Sawdu Animism is Ursa who is said to rule over a spacefaring civilization in the Polaris star system. Other lesser spirits include the mischievous Forest Dwellers, who play tricks on humans who don't offer a bundle of wild garlic, and their more mysterious cousins, the Onlookers, who loom in your periphery and are only known to observe.
Another aspect of Sawdu Animism is the belief in the power of Standards. Standards is a term used in Sawdu histography to describe three vessels which vested within them all power of Sawdustistan. The first standard was The Tube which lasted for a period of around 2016-2018 during the Squadom of Sawdustistan. The second standard was the Sawdustisnake which lasted from 2018-2020 until it's mysterious disappearance. The third (and current) standard is the Hog which has exsisted alongside the Sawdustisnake until eclipsing it in early 2020.
Sawdustistan has also archived a collection of a dozen folktales collected from all over the nation which has since not been released to the public. These stories range from minute topics such as Vimto to the more bizarre such as the account of the mythical Land of White Sawdust.
Religion
Sawdustistan has a diverse range of theologies followed throughout the nation. Christianity is the earliest religion in the nation, as Sawdustistan was founded by adherents to the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Protestant sects. With the introduction of new citizens, Sawdustistan welcomed adherents to the Buddhist and Islamic faiths.
Economy
The economic activities of the Republic of Sawdustistan are run primarily off state-owned enterprises with few private investments. Since the government of Sawdustistan charges no taxes, it is reliant on donations and volunteer service for income. The three major corporations in Sawdustistan are: Cob Industries, Sawdustifoundry, and Sawdustistan Entertainment. Cob Industries concerns itself with the extraction and production of earthen materials, masonry, pottery, and textiles. Sawdustifoundry concerns itself with metallurgy, stonework, and carpentry. Sawdustistan Entertainment is responsible for the production of media. There is one trade post located within Sawdustigrad referred to as the Shoppe. Along with the United States Dollar (USD), the Sadar (SD) is used as an official trade note for goods and services within Sawdustistan.
Geography and Climate
Sawdustistan is a landlocked country in the Midwest region of North America located at the border between the Appalachian Plateau, the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, and the Central Lowlands of the Great Lakes region. Sawdustistan is an enclave within the United States and shares a border with Folkistan. Sawdustistan lies entirely within the latitudes of 40° N and the meridians of 80° W.
Topography
Sawdustistan has a controlled a territorial area of .480 km^2 (119 Acres) as estimated in 2022.
The terrain is mostly flat with a few steep hills, 95% of the land is Deciduous Forest with small pockets of Coniferous Forest. The land rises to 318 meters (1044 feet) above sea level at the Gold-Tipped Ridge.
Climate
The climate of Sawdustistan is majority hot-summer humid continental according to the Köppen Climate Model. Summers are hot, humid, and sunny, lasting from June to late-September. The temperature of Sawdustistan in the summer averages at a low of 61.2 °F and a high of 83.8 °F. The number of days above 90 °F in Sawdustistan is only 9.9, however, the Summer humidity amplifies the heat making long times spent outdoors very uncomfortable. The average rainfall in Sawdustistan is 40.8" annually, however, droughts are very common in recent years. Springs are long, cool, and breezy, with an average low temperature of 28.5 °F and a high of 72.1 °F.
Spring is also Tornado and Flood season, with the largest windstorm recorded occurring in May 2012 and the largest 500-year flood occurring in March 2020. Autumns are short, chilly, and windy, with an average low temperature of 23.4 °F and a high of 64.4 °F. Autumn is incredibly vibrant when the nation's many forests light up around the 10th of October. Winters are very dry and range from freezing to cool, with an average low temperature of 18.7 °F and a high of 39.3 °F. The number of days below freezing average at about 127.5 annually and the number of days below zero average at 5.4 annually, despite the cold or because of it, winters are very active for Sawdu citizens. Sawdustistan receives an annual snowfall of 21.1".
Government and politics
The government of Sawdustistan is a Constitutional Democratic Republic. The government is headed by the Prime Minister, currently held by The Hog. The government consists of the Sadu Committee, the Sadu Ministries, and the Sadu Courts. The Sadu Committee acts as a national discussion forum for the nation and as a group to propose and pass legislation. The Sadu Ministries are split into several types of government interest to regulate and improve those interests. The Sadu CourtsCourts' purpose is to settle disputes between citizens and government officials and to review the constitutionality of certain actions in the government.
Sadu Committee
The Sadu Committee, colloquially known as the Sawdu Committee, consists of the committee members who represent the Sawblasts. Where each administrative division is granted one member to elect. With the seats having an election every three months during the Sawdustistan General Election. The main functions of The Committee are to have a general national discussion over the nation, propose and pass legislation, amend the constitution, impeach government officials, and declare war.
At the beginning of a term, The committee members will appoint and confirm a Speaker of the Sadu Committee. Who leads the discussion and voting within. The Speaker during their term can not be the Prime Minister of Sawdustistan or the Prime Justice of Sawdustistan to prevent a dictatorship from rising.
Ministries
The Sadu Ministries are led by the Prime Minister who is voted by Sawdu citizens during the General Election every three months. The Prime Minister can not be the Speaker of the Committee or the Prime Justice during their term. At the beginning of the Prime Minister's term, they will appoint a Vice Prime Minister, Prime Justice, and the Ministers of Sawdustistan of the Ministries. The Ministers regulate and improve their area of government interest. Ministers of Sawdustistan can accept applications from citizens to help work within the Ministries. Giving the applicants one of two positions. That being the Deputy Minister who is second in command of the Ministry and the Secretaries of Sawdustistan who do general tasks and work.
- Ministry of Commerce - In charge of minting of the currency, and growing the economy within Sawdustistan.
- Ministry of Culture - To preserve and promote customs, traditions and folklore through art and social media.
- Ministry of Environment - To maintain an environmental standard within Sawdustistan and create national parks.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs - To reach out to other nations to represent Sawdustistan to others.
- Ministry of Defense - Controls the military's functions, abilities and logistics.
- Ministry of Archives - Maintains an archive of Sawdu history to be kept for future years.
- Ministry of Infrastructure - Constructs and maintains the pathways and buildings within the nation.
National Court
The Sadu National Court is the highest court in Sawdustistan and is where national issues or escalated Sawblast issues get resolved. It only has one seat held by the Prime Justice, who can not be Prime Minister, Speaker of the Committee, or a Committee Member during their term. The Prime Justice's role is to settle disputes between citizens and government officials while reviewing cases on the constitutionality of government actions.
Sawblast Governments
All Sawblast except for the Sawdustigrad Capital District have a direct democracy form of government. Where the citizens of the Sawblast have voting power within the Sawblast government. Each Sawblast can elect their own leader named the Sawblast Governor who functions the same as Prime Minister but for that Sawblast only.
Military
The Sawdustistan Defense Military is split up into six different divisions, each one serving a purpose to defend the nation.
- The Infantry Division - Specializes in ground-based warfare.
- The Armored Division - Constructs and utilized armored vehicles to support the Infantry Division.
- The Air Reconnaissance Division - Uses drones to collect intelligence from the skies.
- The Naval Division - Uses boats to navigate the few bodies of water in Sawdustistan.
- The Intelligence Division - A secretive division that is only known to collect intelligence about enemies.
- The Mounted Bicycle Archer Division - Used only for ceremonial purposes during holidays.
Administrative Divisions
Sawdustistan is divided into two regions, with the settlement of Sawdustigrad having special administrative status as the country's capital. The chief executive in each of the regions is the regional governor, appointed by the population of each settlement within the regions to control all internal functions and affairs.
| Sawblasts | |||||||
| Regions | Flag | Governor | Capital | Area (acres) | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Sawdustistan |  |
Ethan Hendrickson | Neosvetia | 96.9 (De Facto) | 15 | ||
| North Sawdustistan |  |
Armen Nazarian | Norgharghan | 17.5 (De Facto) | 8 | ||
| Federal District | |||||||
| Sawdustigrad |  |
N/A | Sawdustigrad Capital District | 1.8 | 35 | ||
Foreign Relations
Sawdustistan's foreign relations started in May 2019. Where they had their first contact with an existing Micronation named Folkistan. A breakaway state from The Republic of Fianna, founded in 2016 and led by Jacob Folk. At first, the government was planning to invade the nation to regain the once Fiannan territory, but plans were abandoned to instead be recognized by a fellow Micronation. Although, Sawdustistan still claims the lands of Folkistan to this day. Sawdustistan had also been in contact with another local Micronation named The Clockwerk Republic, but communication has been lost with them since early 2020.
Outside local affairs, Sawdustistan had also done diplomatic missions via Instagram and Discord with 25 Micronations and joined the European Micronational Union. As well as Armen making a diplomatic trip to the micronation of Užupis in Lithuania in June 2019. Armen Nazarian engaged in diplomacy with their Minister of Foreign Affairs, leading to mutual recognition and remarks of support.
In July 2020, the Republic of Sawdustistan became a belligerent in the Second Artsakh War after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was sent a bomb threat from troll-farms traced back to the government of Azerbaijan, Sawdustistan was then personally blocked on Twitter by the President of Azerbaijan. This means the existence of the Republic of Sawdustistan was technically acknowledged by the Macronation government in Baku.