Kelija

The Confederation of Kelija
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: “A Nation Born from Equals”
Anthem: “The March of Princes!”
Capital	None (De jure) Peonggeong (De Facto)
Largest city	Peonggeong
Official languages	Koechun Ras Gintarian Dolch Iverican Variota
Ethnic groups	Koechun Ras Gintarian Dolch Iverican Variotan
Demonym(s)	Kelijan
Government	Directorial republic
• Federal Council President	Hendrik Botha
• Federal Chancellor	Anna Müller
Legislature	The Federal Assembly
• Upper house	The Joint Canton Administration
• Lower house	The National Administration
Independent
• Establishment of the Confederation of Kelija	October 9th 1879
Population
• 2023 estimate	2,531,438
• 2023 census	2,531,438
• Density	51/km2 (132.1/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	46,800,000,000
• Per capita	18,523
HDI (2023)	0.788 high
Currency	The Keelpijipan Zedas
Time zone	UTC -3
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+254
Internet TLD	.ke

The Confederation of Kelija, or Kelija for short, is a Nation situated within North Eastern Alharu. Its population currently consists of 2.5 million people, hailing from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. Kelija is a culturally rich and mixed nation, comprised of Gintarian Dolch and Ras peoples from Baltica, Variotans, Ivericans and Koechuns, who remain the largest ethnic group, as well as the oldest one, with the Koechuns having been the first to form the first iteration of Kelija, the Mercantile Republic of Kachekul. Although Kelija has no De Jure capital, its largest and most prominent settlement, Peonggeong remains its De Facto capital. Other prominent settlements include cities like Vaalstrom, Kelija's former capital during Baltican rule, Vilmar, the largest Variotan settlement, as well as Rasmes, Meogchoji and Little Iverica. Due to the various cultural groups present in Kelija, it has no single "State Language", instead it has various regional languages, with the Federal Assembly holding meetings in all five of the regional languages, currently consisting of Iverican, Gintarian Dolch, Ras, Koechun and Variotan.

Kelija's history remains exceptionally well documented, preserved both in writing and through oral history. It is commonly believed that the people who formed the first iteration of Kelija, came from modern-day Kacheru, having migrated in 1574. The migration was a result of the spread of the Salamic faith within Kacheru, which saw the former dynasty of Kacheru, the Koechu removed from their position of power. As such, the "Ten Princes", members of the former Dynasty, opposed to the spread of Salam and angered by their removal from governance, instead migrated out of Kacheru. The Ten Princes would follow the course of the Simbaala River, and would eventually settle down along Lake Kalmmer and the Southern Keelpijip Coast. The first state formed from the migration was known as the "Mercantile Republic of Kachekul", led by the only named Prince, Prince Kerin the Great (1520-1590). Kelija would exist as a Mercantile Republic for much of its history, which eventually saw the Kingdom of Baltica; now the Federation of Baltica, temporarily take over Kelija, setting it up as a Governorate and defacto colony in 1750. During Baltican rule, Kelija would see an influx of Gintarian Dolch people as well as Ras folk, who came to Kelija seeking fortune and "adventure". Nonetheless, Kelija would achieve independence in 1858, after the death and removal of the very unpopular governor Willem Von Niekerk. October 9th 1879 marks the official date that modern Kelija was formed, after which it adopted a Confederation-style model, and implemented the "Canton Solution" seeing the nation divided into 31 Individual Cantons.

Kelija is a developed nation, enjoying a high HDI of 0.788, and having one of the highest GDP per capita within its respective region. Kelija's largest economic partners consist of Baltica, Kacheru, Variota and Iverica, who contribute to most of its exports and Imports.

Etymology and Flag

The name "Kelija" is derived from the Keelpijip Strait, which has historically been an important centre of trade and commerce for Kelija. However, the name Kelija is quite a modern term, as historically the lands of modern-day Kelija were referred to as Kachekul, heavily inspired by the original home of the Koechun, Kacheru. However, to both distance itself from Kacheru, and to better represent the various ethnic groups that made up Kachekul after Independence, the name Kelija was instead chosen, both to reflect the Importance of the Keelpijip Strait and the fact that it was a common name that was already somewhat in use during Baltican rule. Various other names were proposed during the Independence process, the most popular being the Confederation of Sambaala, after the river that runs through the majority of the nation's South and was also equally historically crucial. Kelija would however be chosen for the previously mentioned reasons. However, the various ethnic groups of Kelija still often refer to the nation in their own local languages. For example, the Koechuns still often refer to Kelija as Kachekul, whilst the Gintarian Dolch and Ras still often refer to Kelija as "New Baltica" or "Valstramia".

The Modern-day flag of Kelija was designed and implemented shortly after independence in 1858. During the era of the Mercantile Republic, Kelija had no official state flag so to speak, instead it was quite common for multiple banners to represent the nation, due to it having been formed as a union of ten principalities. As such "Fishers flags", flags which were commonly used by fishermen and coastal villages to mark territory and coastal waters, were often used to represent the early Kachekul. However, since every flag was different depending on the city, port or even fishing vessel, this led to much debate on what an actual flag for Kelija should be like or look like when it came to the nation receiving independence. What was ultimately chosen was a simple Tri Colour, consisting of Green, Red and Yellow. The Yellow to represent the Ivericans and Koechuns, Red for the Variotans and Gintarian Dolch, and Green for the Ras. This modern tri-colour is often referred to as the "Confederated Bars". It was only later revealed through official state documents that the Confederated Bars was only supposed to act as a temporary flag for the first five years of the Confederation until a more suitable one would be created, however, due to its popularity it was kept around till the modern day. The original creator of the Confederated Bars is unknown, although it's highly suspected to have been the work of existing Dolch artists or politicians within Kelija at the time. A popular myth is that the first Head of Diplomatic Affairs, Georg Von Bak (1798-1863) was the creator of the flag, although that remains largely disproved by his close family who insist he had nothing to do with its creation.