Nortua

Nortua

Area	17,840,000 km2
Population	423,000,000
Countries	List of sovereign states and dependent territories (Iearth)
Largest cities	Covijo Apelnisse Asamandia Laitstadt Zouterhem Coplesti Balgita Autrataya Tyrnatini Norasa Eblium (Anea City) Allengin Oftbon Vogoci Arenkau Aassillit Rakohovo Melmingen Amstelvoort

Nortua is the fourth-largest of five continents located on the planet of Iearth. The vast continent is bounded by the Olympic Ocean to the east, the Northern Ocean to the north, and the Samson Ocean to the west. It is bisected from Adula to the south by the Strait of Grelend, Kuskok Sea, Nortua Sea and Yn Syth. It is the second least populated continent after Antartique, largely due to its size and generally harsh climate that runs parallel to its northern latitude. It has the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world, at latitude 82°30'05" north, 817 kilometres (508 mi) from the North Pole, located at Recon Percilius Joint Research Station on Percilius Jacobeir Island in New Anea.

Nortua has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi). Its population as of 2018 has been estimated at more than 423 million. New Anea is the largest country by area, and Besmenia is the most populous at just over 78.3 million people. Most of the population of Nortua lives near the continent's western or southern coasts while the interior and northern coasts are sparsely populated. The continent's cultural and ethnic outlook has its origin with the interaction of indigenous peoples with Adulan conquerors and immigrants. The eastern regions of the continent are among the most developed nations in the world, thanks to favorable oceanic climates and long established civilizations. The central and western regions, while not as developed as the east, are still highly ranked in human development indexes when compared with other regions of the world.

Humans first arrived in Nortua 41,000 years ago by crossing northward from Adula through the Archravian islands. The ages of antiquity saw the development of thousands of city states and fractured kingdoms across the continent, while the early modern era saw the development of major geopolitical entities, namely the Constantioan and Zoygarian empires. Following the collapse of these powers in the wake of the Great Nortuan War, a theme of democratic monarchies and republics arose throughout the continent, with the most notable examples including Besmenia, Elbresia, and the Arenoran Isles. Throughout these aforementioned eras, Nortua played a predominant role in global affairs with multiple explorations and conquests around the world. Following the World War, Nortua became notable as the most relatively peaceful continent, with localized ethnic and cultural conflicts in the 1990s like the Chezian War and Reclamation War subsiding and defining modern boundaries. The Syraranto civil war (2020-23) and its resulting humanitarian crisis, however, reignited some regional instability.

Nortuan integration is being advanced institutionally, and in the modern day Nortua is largely unified under two main entities: the Alliance of Nortuan States (ANS) and the Sotoan Basin Union (SBU). While several nations are unaffiliated with either organization, the two cooperate on most matters and therefore Nortua is considered the most administratively unified continent.

Geography

Regions

The four distinct geographical divisions in Nortua; East, Central, West, and North

Nortua, the second-smallest continent after Antartique, is divided into four regions; East, Central, West, and North.

• East

The East spans along the entire coast of the Olympic Ocean from Greland to the Arenoran Isles. Consistent of many large regions of flat, heavily forested plateaus interconnected in varying degrees of elevated hill and mountain ranges, before descending into a lengthy north-south low relief along the coast. The region's average elevation is less than 900 meters above sea level and extends inland from the ocean, with the coastal plain is normally wet, including many rivers, marsh, and swampland. It is composed primarily of sedimentary rock and unlithified sediments and is primarily used for agriculture.

The climate of East Nortua varies greatly across its lengthy span. The majority of the region from south to north has a humid continental climate. In the inland continental region, specifically Besmenia and Candatora, the winters are long and cold, and heavy snow is common (most locations receive 60 to 120 inches (1,500 to 3,000 mm) of snow annually in this region). The summer's months are moderately warm, though summer is rather short and rainfall is spread through the year. In more eastern areas, specifically Versenia, Kyti, Lovinali, North Shebat, and South Shebat, the same humid continental prevails, though summers are warm to hot, winters are shorter, and there is less snowfall (especially in the coastal areas where it is often warmer).

The northern archipelago lies in the mid-temperate zone to the subarctic zone, and although areas like Elbresia and Saint Offeat are almost entirely surrounded by water, the climate is closer to continental climate rather than maritime. The winter and summer temperature extremes of the continental climate are moderated by the ocean. However, winters are cold enough to be classified as continental—still being nearer the freezing point than inland areas to the west. Areas not on the Olympic coast experience warmer summers more typical of inland areas, and winter lows are a little colder.

• Central

Central Nortua can sometimes be divided into two regions; the Shield in the north, and the Bowl in the south.

The Shield is overwhelmingly located on a large rock base mostly consists of eroded hilly terrain and contains many lakes and important rivers used for hydroelectric production, particularly in northern Utobania and southern New Anea. The Shield also encloses an area of wetlands around the Bay of Laitstadt. Some particular regions of the Shield are referred to as mountain ranges, including the Arngat and Moraitian Mountains. The Shield cannot support intensive agriculture, although there is subsistence agriculture and small dairy farms in many of the river valleys and around the abundant lakes, particularly in the southern regions. Boreal forest covers much of the shield, with a mix of conifers that provide valuable timber resources in areas such as the Central Shield forests ecoregion that covers much of the region. The Shield is known for its vast mineral reserves such as emeralds, diamonds and copper.

The Bowl is part of a vast sedimentary plain covering much of the region, as well as much of the Taiga and Boreal region between the divides of the East and West Nortuan regions. The plains generally describes the expanses of (largely flat) arable agricultural land which sustain extensive grain-farming operations in the southern part of the region. Despite this, some areas are quite hilly and the prairies contain large areas of forest such as the Mid-Continental Nortuan forests.

• West

The geography of the West is extremely varied. Notable are the Birnir fjords, the Chezian Mountains, the flat, low areas in the basin spanning from Constantio to Vuswistan and the archipelagos of Karabakhi. The region has many lakes and moraines, legacies of the ice age, which ended about ten millennia ago. The southern regions of the West, which are also the most populous regions, have a temperate climate. The West extends just south of the Northern Circle, but has relatively mild weather for its latitude due to the Samson Ocean. Many of the West Nortuan mountains have an alpine tundra climate. The climate varies from north to south and from west to east: a marine west coast climate (Cfb) typical of western Nortua dominates in Karabakhi, southernmost part of Birnir and along the west coast of Birnir reaching north to 65°N, with orographic lift giving more mm/year precipitation (<5000 mm) in some areas in the region. The central part – from Constantio, Syraranto, and Vuswistan – has a humid continental climate (Dfb), which gradually gives way to subarctic climate (Dfc) further north into North Icadania and New Ansion. The Birnir Mountains block the mild and moist air coming from the southwest, thus the northern plateau in West Nortua receives little precipitation and has cold winters.

• North

North Nortua is a polar region. Land within the North region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless permafrost (permanently frozen underground ice) containing tundra. Northern Ocean waters contain seasonal sea ice in many places.

The North region is a unique area among Iearth's ecosystems. The cultures in the region and the north indigenous peoples have adapted to its cold and extreme conditions. Life in the northern region includes zooplankton and phytoplankton, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals, plants and sparse human societies.

The North is characterized by cold winters and cool summers. Its precipitation mostly comes in the form of snow and is low, with most of the area receiving less than 50 cm (20 in). High winds often stir up snow, creating the illusion of continuous snowfall. Average winter temperatures can go as low as −40 °C (−40 °F), and the coldest recorded temperature is approximately −68 °C (−90 °F). Coastal North climates are moderated by oceanic influences, having generally warmer temperatures and heavier snowfalls than the colder and drier interior areas. The North is affected by current global warming, leading to Northern Ocean ice shrinkage, diminished ice in the New Anea ice sheet, and North methane release as the permafrost thaws. The melting of New Anea's ice sheet is linked to polar amplification.

Biodiversity

• 

  Moose in Besmenia

• 

  Mainland caribou in Elbresia

• 

  Grey wolf in Saint Offeat

• 

  Polar bear in New Anea

• 

  Black bear in Birnir

• 

  Nortuan beaver in Versenia

• 

  Whopping crane in Siniapore

• 

  Giant Nortua salamander in Utobania

• 

  Nortua hyena in Syraranto

• 

  Roe deer in Vuswistan

• 

  Mountain lion in Constantio

• 

  Weasel in North Icadania

Politics

International organizations

In June 1989, the Alliance of Nortuan States (ANS) was founded as the first joint Nortuan organization by the states of Besmenia, Elbresia, Versenia, Candatora and the Commonwealth of Arenor, which currently has 16 member states as of 2022. Since its inception, the ANS has greatly expanded both as a diplomatic instrument as well as one of interregional peacekeeping with several milestone acts of legislation coming into force such as a common extradition treaty, tax incentives for member businesses to expand their operations and interregional war games.

Also of great importance is the Sotoan Basin Union (SBU), which was founded in June 1996 by the states of Constantio, Cechena, and Vuswistan to improve relations between the Western Nortuan states politically and economically after the Chezian War. The SBU currently has 19 member states.

List of states and territories

Political map of Nortua

Name	Population	Region	Head of state	Capital
Tine	5,401,376	East	Prime Minister Svenn Trande	Tinegard
Albanovi	12,802,000	West	President Mumadi Dasalev	Ciripa
Acdia	6,822,000	West	President Soib Kishiev	Menetraki
Sopita	5,234,000	Central	President Louis Bonnano	Iuluva
Artaska	7,268,000	West	President Emin Bisliev	Coplesti
Cylata	14,192,000	West	President Jacob Athiso	Caltabia
Latilli	11,121,000	West	President Mel Gallagher	Ambaliana
Beatavic	46,732,153	West	Prime Minister Carter Nelson	Zouterhem
Kamani	4,522,000	East	Prime Minister Jacen Remado	Cambinadal
Arenoran Isles	9,954,000	East	President Arden Adleston	Arenkau
Candatora	17,693,000	East	Prime Minister Aiden Belmea	Highsite
Saint Offeat	6,724,000	East	Prime Minister Lynne Bushore	Vogoci
Kyti	16,322,000	East	President Emmanuel Dabaus	Rakohovo
Versenia	23,022,000	East	President Arthur Vanberson	Aassalit
Elbresia	67,239,000	East	President Alexander Desende	Allengin
Birnir	7,928,000	West	President Morgan Bandalag	Morgaes
Ivite	6,222,000	East	President Alceste D'Aboville	Tanin
Lovinali	1,712,000	East	Chairman Alqi Maurana	Luikina
Besmenia	81,338,037	Central	Premier Thomas Pühringer	Laitstadt
North Icadania	12,663,000	West	Chancellor Gianni Roussilis	Marsari
New Ansion	2,769,000	West	Chancellor Amalia Vassalli	Carassa
Utobania	46,839,000	Central	Chancellor Kennedy Telgado	Autrataya
Yubonia	6,284,000	Central	President Stevia Sugona	Belmasia
New Anea	15,324,000	North	Prime Minister Paul Wasserbaur	Eblium
Karabakhi	11,722,000	West	Prime Minister Kris Denderick	Delmaskan
Syraranto	31,325,000	West	President Kyriakos Tasoulas	Covijo
Vuswistan	29,743,000	Central	President Panagiotakis Nicolalis	Tyrnatini
Eserrei	18,639,000	West	President Laima Parsukine	Torunzidis
North Shebat	16,401,000	East	Chancellor Yolande Joubert	Susitok
South Shebat	8,194,000	East	President Fiona Courtial	Mevensk
Greland	21,992,000	East	Chancellor Grant Marca	Etraba
Cechena	25,747,000	West	President Deroskavich Putinia	Grosnoiva
Constantio	36,889,000	West	President Tony Blanian	Apelnisse
Jumbosa	2,719,000	Central	President Emmanuel Joseph	Albertine
Greater Normark	8,582,079	North	King Valdemar VII	Oskarsviik