Lointland
Second Republic of Lointland | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: "Unity through the Consortium" | |
| Anthem: Battle Hymn of the Republic | |
 | |
| Capital | Verdanna |
| Largest city | Beringea |
| Official languages | Valish |
| Demonym(s) | Lointian |
| Government | Federal Republic |
| Stewart Griffin | |
| Legislature | Congress |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Reformed from the Republic of Lointland | |
| Population | |
• Census | 79,601,002 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $4,445,079,153,684| $4.44 Trillion |
• Per capita | $55,842 |
| HDI | .929 very high |
| Date format | dd/mm/yy |
| Driving side | right |
| Internet TLD | .loint |
Website www.government.loint | |
The Second Republic of Lointland, commonly referred to as just Lointland, is a republic situated in between the Sundered Strait in the north and the Piscary Sea in the south. Lointland also controls a couple of islands in the Piscary, and a few port cities on the island of Marmuk. Lointland is known for being a member of the Consortium, but often takes a more politically neutral stance to foreign conflicts than other members. Lointland is also known for its large logging, fishing and farming industries, but notably lacks in the field of technology.
Etymology
The Lointian River was called “Loint” because it was a mispronunciation of the Natin word “longe”, which in Valish translates to “far”. The Natin Empire used the term “Longe River” because the river was the furthest major Natin river from Lazio.
History
Pre-Christus Lointland
The area now known as the Lointian River Valley was once inhabited by the ancient Nonscioans, who mainly lived in the Alexas Mountain Range or in small communities in the Valley.
The late ancient period was hectic for the Lointian Valley. With Rouentaise kingdoms in the north and the ever expanding Natin Empire in the south, the petty kingdoms of Lointland were easily squandered by the Natins, and incorporated into the Natin territory of Rhouvella Septentrionis. During Natin occupation is where the first major Lointian cities pop up, most notably Verdanium (Verdanna) and Counterzer (Counterzain).
Collapse of the Natin Empire and the Rise of Sanguis Christianity
The Natin Empire pulled out of Lointland by 250 AC. This left behind many petty kingdoms squabbling over land and resources. By 1000 AC, Lointland was split among 4 kingdoms, all as equally powerful as the other.
The Kingdom of Vershire was loyal to the Pope and the Sanguis Church, as it held Verdannium, the crown jewel of the Lointian River.
The Kingdom of Beringium was Vershire’s biggest rival, and clashed with the Vershirians for control of the Lointian River. The city of Beringium was created after King Litus II combined 2 separate struggling post-Natin cities (Berin and Gium) into a single city.
The Kingdom of the Sundered was based out of Sunderia, which would later become Sundered City. The Sundered was much more rich than the other kingdoms and constantly traded with other Nonscioan nations, mostly other nations on the Sundered.
The Kingdom of Piscarius was more influenced by the Rouental and Estandé kingdoms. The Piscarians took on a more Midterre-like culture, and traded with other Piscarian Kingdoms.
These Kingdoms all took on the Sanguis religion, much like other Nonscioan Middle-Age kingdoms. They would frequently fight over small territory, but usually ended up as futile attempts as status quo returned.
Unification of Lointland
During 15th century, a Nonscioan renaissance erupted. Prominent thinkers throughout Nonscio spread their ideas and scientific theories.
One of these ideas was gunpowder.
Vershire signed a treaty with The Sundered Kingdom, annexing it into the Kingdom of Vershire. Both leaders shared a vision of a united Lointland, and when King Canisius II of the Sundered died, he left his kingdom to the Vershirians. The Vershirians then used the Sundered trading prowess to obtain obscene amounts of gunpowder, cannons, and muskets. As the Spring of 1478 came around, Vershire declared war on the Kingdom of Beringea.
It was no contest. After a 5 day siege on the city of Beringea, the Beringeans surrendered to the technologically superior Vershirians. With the threat of annihilation, the Kingdom of Piscarius also surrendered. King Francois III had successfully united the Lointian kingdoms under a single banner. The Kingdom of Lointland had been born.
Through the 16th century, new ideals were being brought into Lointland. By 1520, the monarchy had established a representative parliament, choosing representatives from each of the 4 “core” states of Lointland. (Piscarius, North Valley, South Valley, and Vershire). Each state had two representatives, with the “Major Cities” of Verdanna, Beringea, Piscary City and Sundered City having their own representative. This would be the Lointian Golden Age, the people were happy and satisfied. Around this time, the Lointians would start playing primitive bat and ball games, very much the inspiration of modern baseball.
The Kingdom is becoming rich from traders using its ports as rest stops for their longer trips into northern Nonscio and Marmuk. During this time Lointland started to become more aligned with Romanoddle and Cardonia as Valish spread throughout the Kingdom, replacing Rouentaise-like Old Lointian and Piscarian.
Early Modern Period and the Rise of Republicanism
The Renaissance continues in Lointland well through the start of the 18th century, as Republican ideals sweep the nation in the early 1700’s, particularly gaining traction in the Valleys who feel that the Vershirian-centric monarchy fails to represent them. Richard Cousentais, leader of the Beringea Republican Party, leads a march on the Verdanna Imperial Palace on April 20, 1745, along with many other regional republican and democratic aligned parties. On October 3rd, 1745, King Harold abdicates the throne, and a transitional government takes over the country and writes the Constitution of 1746, which is the basis of the modern constitution. Representatives chose Charles Toulés as the first President of Lointland in the election of 1746.
The Industrial Revolution
The new Republic was very ambitious to hop on the Industrialization trend. Taking inspiration from Romanoddlian and Volinovian cities, Verdanna and Beringea were the first cities in Lointland to industrialize. By 1834, the first railroads were being built through the countryside. With urban cities starting to crowd up, Lointians looked towards the uninhabited area of Alexas.
After large coal and gas mines were found in Alexas, many Lointians moved into the Alexan territory. Many of these cities popped up so quickly that many towns had to recruit their own rangers to protect the city from thieves. These rangers would be known in popular culture as the Lointian cowboys. This period of unlawfulness in Alexas would be known as the Wild Southwest. Alexas would be admitted as a state into the Republic in 1855, completing the 5 states that we know today. A new constitution was written to incorporate Alexas into Lointland.
During the latter years of the Industrial Revolution, Lointland began investing heavily into the automobile industry in 1900, leading to the rise of the Salibe Motor Company, who improved on and commercialized the Assembly Line. Salibe would later go on to dominate the Nonscioan automobile market for years.
The Modern Era
Marketing on the success of multiple Lointian companies and industries, Lointian began manufacturing foreign weapons and vehicles for cash, and started supplying materials to the highest bidder. Throughout the 20th century, the Lointian Armed Forces became complacent, relying on their status as a regional trading power and regional alliances to keep peace, and without and actual wartime experience, the armies of Lointland quickly became outdated and ignorant.
As the 1970’s came around the Lointian stock market crashed, and many Lointians fell into poverty. The Lointian government had to close its market to focus on improving its domestic situation. The Crash of ‘71 would sideline Lointian industry and diplomacy for decades.
By 1992, 20 years from the crash, Lointian industry was still struggling to get off of its feet. Martial Law was declared a few times in Beringea as the population revolted. The only safe haven was the prosperous Piscary City, becoming a destination for the gambler and the beachgoer with tall flashy casinos and its long, even flashier boardwalks.
With other cities noticing the tourism pull of P.C., Sundered City and Verdanna started cleanup programs and planned to flip their cities into tourism destinations, as Beringea also started to clean up their city in the late 90’s as the Lointian economy started to recover with the new wave of tourism and industry. The Piscary coast with its Midterre and Rouentaise influenced infrastructure made it popular with tourists throughout Valsora, and the sport of baseball also pulled tourists and locals alike to its games, helping to recover the urban Lointian economy as housing and groceries became cheaper and more people rose above the poverty line, as the middle class of Lointland remerged throughout the first decades of the 21st century.
Reformation and Expansion
After years of economic growth, the Republic of Lointland under President Stewart Griffin rejoined the table of international diplomacy in early 2032 with agreements between many Nonscioan countries and Myehn. In 2032, Lointland teamed up with Korskaya and Volinovia to overthrow the government of Merlgould.
During this time, Lointland joined the Consortium, and reformed into the Second Republic. Lointland also joined into the Consortium Intervention in Blobon, while not doing much in Blobon, set up refugee towns in the uninhabited forests of the Sundered Territories, and giving the Blobonic people minor autonomy in the Territory of Lointya on the Island of Saint Anthony.
After the collapse of the Volinovian government in 2033, Lointland forcefully occupied and split Merlgould between themselves and Romanoddle. As of now, Merlgould has been successfully integrated into Lointland proper and has been split and given state status. Lointland has also expanded into Marmuk and the Sundered Islands to protect their water claims in the Sundered. But ever since the Occupation of Merlgould, Lointland has sit idly by and watched international politics on the sideline.
Geography
Lointland has a temperate climate, but is significantly warmer on the Piscary coasts as warm breezes come through the Midterre. Large swaths of forests dominate western Vershire and eastern NLV while mountains separate Vershire and Alexas, leaving Alexas as a large and dry prairie. The SLV is a temperate plains area, with minor forests in the west. Piscarius is a dry summer climate much more resembling the Midterre countries.
Demographics
99.7% of Lointians are human, while the 0.3% are Homo-Felius.
Many Lointians are ethnically Lointian, but many other ethnic groups include Romanoddlian, Rouentaise, Cardonian, Estandér and Myehnese.
Politics
The Second Republic of Lointland is a representative democracy. The citizens of each county votes for one representative that goes into the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives vote on bills and can impeach judges on the Supreme Court.
Citizens also vote for two representatives for each state in the Senate, and the Senate also votes for bills, but also votes for and can impeach the President.
The President makes diplomatic missions and can veto bills. The President cannot impeach anybody, as the status of his job lays entirely within the Senate.
Economy
Ever since the Lointian Economic Revolution of the 1990’s, the Lointian Economy has been dominated by the entertainment, agriculture, fishing, logging and steel industries.
Infastructure
Lointland widely uses suburban car-dominated infrastructure in the suburban areas. Many densely populated cities like Verdanna or Sundered City is built on walkable infrastructure with heavy use of public transport.
Culture
Lointland is a mix between Rouentaise Natin-centric culture and the Romanoddle/Valish culture widely seen in other Northern Nonscioan countries.
The Sanguis Catholic Church plays a large part in Lointian culture, as the stereotypical Lointian family consists of a suburban home, a car in the garage, food on the table, and a trip to the Church on Sunday.