Castelana

Castelan Republic Republica Castelana (Castelan) Gwerinaeth Castelunaeg (Rianic)
Flag
Motto: Liberda e Unida "Liberty and Unity"
Anthem: Castelanha subrel todos Castelun iuchbenand "Castelana above all"
Capital and largest city	Sãda Mõdanha
Official languages	Castelan Rianic
Ethnic groups (2018)	74% Castelan 21% Rianic 5% Other
Demonym(s)	Castelan
Government	Federal parliamentary directorial republic
• Consuls	Ruis Frayas (MpC) Anha Estiorõ (PT)
Legislature	Senate
Establishment
• Unification	1129
• Annexation of Riania	1697
• Opal Uprising	1804
• Golden Uprising	1879
Area
•	176,973 km2 (68,330 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 census	9,824,873
• Density	55.51/km2 (143.8/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$353.02 billion
• Per capita	$35,931
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$295.75 billion
• Per capita	$30,102
Gini (2017)	25.9 low
HDI (2018)	0.807 very high
Currency	Castelan argenda
Driving side	right
Calling code	+69
Internet TLD	.cs

Castelana (Castelan: Castelanha [kastɛlaɲa], Rianic: Castelun [kastɛːlʊn]), officially the Castelan Republic (Castelan: Republica Castelana [ɾɛpublika kastɛlana], Rianic: Gwerinaeth Castelunaeg [ɡwɛɾɪnaɪ̯θ kastɛluːnaɪ̯ɡ]), is a country located in western Auressia at the start of the Angulas peninsula, bordering Palia to the east, Castria to the north-east and Tirmon to the north-west. Its northern and western fringes are notably rather mountainous, while much of the rest of the nation is rather flat and it is in these parts where the vast majority of the population is located, including the two largest cities in the Republic, Cendraçuda and Sãda Mõdanha, the capital. The nation is governed as a federal parliamentary directorial republic and is currently led by Consuls Ruis Frayas and Anha Estiorõ.

The Castelan Republic has existed in some form since 1129, when much of the country's current territories, bar Riania, were unified under a centralised authority in Sãda Mõdanha. The nation was long run as a noble republic, with membership of the Senate being hereditary and thus confined to a few select families, who mostly came from the region around the capital. This led to tensions in the 18th and 19th centuries, as the absorption of Riania in 1697 and the growth of the middle classes led to powerful sections of society feeling unrepresented in the government.

As industrialisation concentrated the population and shifted society further, the republic experienced two waves of revolutionary sentiment. The first, the Rythenean Revolution-inspired Opal Uprising of 1804, was ultimately unsuccessful but led to a shift towards a more representative form of government as reforms in its aftermath gave the vote to some of the growing middle classes. However, the 1879 Golden Uprising successfully deposed the old republic and established the modern republic with representative democracy and universal suffrage at its core.

Castelana's republican virtues play a strong role in its national identity and international outlook, as does its unique religious heritage under the Minervan faith and its continued relevance in Castelan society. A history of trade unionism has led to the nation adopting an economic system largely based on tripartite corporatism, with negotiations between employers, unions and the government being central to the nation's economy. The nation, as a result, has relatively low levels of income inequality. It also has a generous welfare state, with the government providing free tertiary education and universal healthcare, as well as some of the world's longest maternity leave.

However, the nation has been marred by social conflicts between modernising, secular forces and traditional religious values, and has seen conflict over the past few decades between Rianic nationalists and seperatists and the central government.

Etymology

The name Castelana is widely thought to come from the Sabarine word castella, the plural of castellum, meaning "castle" or "fort". Thus, the name is thought to literally translate as "land of castles", and is first recorded as Castelania in the 9th century CE. This name is thought to have come from the defensive structures built in their mountainous territory as a form of defence from the Rubic peoples of the east of the continent.

The demonym for residents of Castelana is "Castelan", however the use of this name has sometimes caused confusion as it also refers specifically to the Castelan ethnic group and thus is used to refer to them with the exclusion of the Rianic peoples who are often considered an integral part of the nation. Therefore, the use of Castelan as the sole demonym to describe people from the country has sometimes been associated with ethnic nationalist connotations.

Geography

The land area of Castelana makes up 176,973 square kilometres, being approximately 317 kilometres wide from north to south and approximately 558 kilometres wide from east to west.

The north of Castelana, being intersected by the Sabarine Mountains, has a fairly high altitude terrain, with the highest point in the country, Mõdo Blãgo, being 3827 metres above sea level. Around 35-40% of Castelana's territory is at least 500 metres above sea level, with most of this being in the north, with most of Les Ostras province and the northern part of Riania being part of this geographical region.

This then gives way to smaller foothills which very rarely go above 500 metres if at all in the middle belt of the country, with the edge of this terrain marking the traditional boundary between Les Ostras and Les Borias, with the valleys within this area of the country being home to the nation's two largest cities - Sãda Mõdanha and Cendraçuda. This gives way into the southern portion of the country, which is largely fat and intersected by estuaries of rivers such as the Ayanara, which flows into the sea in Pordo Safiro, and the Maraçana, which flows out near Iglesia Nuva.

• 

  Coastal Riania, near Porthmellon

• 

  View of the Castanho Plateau

• 

  A summer sunset in coastal Les Ostras

• 

  Mountainous northern Les Borias

Climate

Castelana largely has a mediterranean climate, consisting of the Köppen classifications Csa and Csb, with Csa denoting specifically hot, dry summers contrasting with mild, wet winters and Csb denoting warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The Csa climate is more dominant in southern Castelana, with much of Les Ostras consisting of Csa climates and Csb being more dominant in the foothills and lower mountain terrain of Les Borias, yet much of Riania also has a Csb climate as opposed to a Csa one.

The mountainous parts of Castelana, however, form climatological subregions of more oceanic climates, with much of the mountainous regions possessing a Cfb climate yet in very high altitude regions this gives way to subtropical and alpine climates. There are also small patches of humid subtropical climates in parts of the mountainous regions and semi-arid climates within the interior of Les Ostras.

Climate data for Treyarnon, Riania
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	14 (57)	15 (59)	17 (63)	18 (64)	20 (68)	24 (75)	25 (77)	26 (79)	24 (75)	21 (70)	17 (63)	15 (59)	20 (67)
Daily mean °C (°F)	10 (50)	10 (50)	13 (55)	14 (57)	16 (61)	19 (66)	21 (70)	21 (70)	20 (68)	16 (61)	13 (55)	11 (52)	15 (60)
Average low °C (°F)	5 (41)	6 (43)	8 (46)	9 (48)	12 (54)	15 (59)	16 (61)	16 (61)	15 (59)	12 (54)	9 (48)	7 (45)	11 (52)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	147 (5.8)	111 (4.4)	96 (3.8)	118 (4.6)	90 (3.5)	40 (1.6)	20 (0.8)	33 (1.3)	73 (2.9)	158 (6.2)	170 (6.7)	183 (7.2)	1,239 (48.8)
Source: Assoçaço Medeuroloyarõ Castelanharõ

Politics and Government

Ruis Frayas Consul	Anha Estiorõ Consul

Castelana works within the framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic according to principles laid out in the nation's uncodified constitution; the Consuls serve as head of state and government. Executive power is excercised by the Government of Castelana, legislative power is excercised by the Senate of Castelana and judicial power is independent from both the legislature and the executive.

The Senate of Castelana is given legislative power, and on top of this gives confidence to the Government and Consuls of Castelana, approves the budget and ratifies treaties with other nations. The Senate is elected every two years by mixed-member proportional representation, with 50 of its members being elected to represent single-member constituencies and 50 being elected to regional lists representing Castelana's five Provinces.

At the start of each term, the Senate elects two Consuls from among itself, who are then inaugurated as both heads of government and state. A Government consisting of 10 Ministers is then appointed by the Consuls and confirmed by the Senate, which is then responsible for the governance of the nation and holds executive power. This Government, along with the two Consuls chairing it, must hold the continued confidence of the Senate and may be dismissed by a motion of no confidence if it no longer holds the confidence of the Senate.

Castelana has a multi-party system, in which it is very rare for a party to win a majority, and thus the nation has often been governed by grand coalitions in which both major parties will hold a consular position to counterbalance each other. The three largest parties in modern Castelana are the Perendist democratic and Castelan nationalist Movement for Castelana, the social democratic and Perendist socialist Labour Party and The Democrats, a classical liberal, republican and secular party. The Movement for Castelana and the Labour Party are currently in a governing coalition, with the Movement's Ruis Frayas and Labour's Anha Estiorõ serving as Consuls.

A host of smaller parties also have representation, the largest of which is Dialogue, an anti-clerical progressive party, known for its strong rejection of the influence of religion on Castelan politics. The party is in a political alliance with the Green Party, which focuses on environmentalism and left-wing populism, and the Party for Riania, a left-wing party advocating greater autonomy for Riania. The only other party with representation is Our Home, a national conservative party of the Minervan right. The rise of both forces has been tied to a rejection of the status quo by a more secular youth and a reaction by more conservative Minervans against modernity, as well as economic woes.

Administrative divisions

Castelana has often been described as an asymmetric federation with the relation between its five subnational entities and the federal government varying between the subnational entities.

This system has evolved since the establishment of the states at the end of the Second Great War, at which point they had relatively little autonomy and were mostly responsible for cultural and educational affairs and for providing local services. In the time since the end of the war, however, greater powers were devolved to the administrations over time, and since the 1987 Federalism Charter the current system of asymmetric federalism in which states have different lawmaking powers assigned to them by the charter.

Roughly Castelana's five states can be grouped into three subgroups based on their devolved power. The first, and least autonomous, are the "normal states" of Les Borias and Les Ostras, both of which cover Castelan-speaking regions and have power largely over education, healthcare, transport, agriculture, the environment, culture, emergency services and economic development, while other powers are delegated to the federal government.

The second group is the free cities of Cendraçuda and Sãda Mõdanha, which are somewhat more autonomous, having further devolved powers over law enforcement that the "normal states" do not have, while in the final grouping of "autonomous states" sits Riania, which is granted further powers over the legal system, taxation and food standards.

Demographics

The 2018 census gave Castelana a population of 9,824,873, which represents an increase of 128,703 from the 2011 census, which represents an average yearly growth rate of 0.189%. This population gives Castelana a population density of around 55.5 people per square kilometre, a relatively low population density compared to other countries in Auressia.

This population density varies across the country and is lower in many of the rural, mountainous northern terrain of Les Borias and northern Riania, where the population is largely clustered in valleys - both Sãda Mõdanha and Cendraçuda are set in valleys between the traditional border of Les Borias and Les Ostras. In Les Ostras itself, much of the population is clustered along the coast, with a significant conurbation stretching from southeastern Riania in cities like Porth Mellon towards cities such as Iglesia Nuva and Pordo Safiro.

Castelana has a fairly high fertility rate for an Auressian country at 2.32 babies per woman, above the replacement rate of 2.1. The life expectancy is significantly high, at around 82.0 years on average, increasing to 84.3 for women and decreasing to 79.7 for men. Small communities exist in coastal Castelana where, due to their very high life expectancies and relatively low rates of heart disease and cancer, have been classified as blue zones.

Languages

Language in Castelana (2018 census)
Language			Percentage
Castelan			73.6%
Rianic			20.8%
Rasmean			3.1%
Other			2.5%

Castelana is, since 1987, a bilingual state, with the federal government operating and conducting its affairs in both the Castelan language and the Rianic language. Each province, however, is free to set its own language policy - within Les Borias and Les Ostras, and the free cities of Sãda Mõdanha and Cendraçuda, Castelan is the official language of government, while in Riania Rianic is the official language of government. However, states operating in one of the two national languages are still required to provide services in the other language to those that require them.

It is estimated that around 7.23 million people, or approximately 74% of the population, speak Castelan as their native language, distributed mostly across the four provinces where it is an official language with a small community in urban Riania. Rianic's 2.04 million speakers are meanwhile very localised to the eponymous province of Riania.

Castelan is a Sabarian language sometimes grouped with Palian and Castrian in the West Sabarian language family due to common sound changes and sometimes considered to be part of its own Angulic branch of the Sabarian languages due to unique linguistic conservatisms and innovations the language possesses. Notably, it takes an influence from the Rubic languages to its west, the family to which Rianic belongs. Specifically, the language belongs to the South Rubic branch with Caitasi as opposed to the North Rubic branch with Ghàelic.

The most notable minority language within the country is the Rasmean language, spoken by around 304,000 people within the country and largely concentrated in the nation's largest cities. While no official recognition of the language exists and many of its speakers are bilingual in either Castelan or Rianic depending on the city in question, its use in Rasmi households has persisted strongly and the cities in which it is spoken operate unofficial services in the language. Furthermore, minorities of Palian and Castrian speakers exist in towns and communities near the border with Palia and Castria respectively.

Religion

In the 2018 census, 83.9% of the population identified themselves as belonging to the Apostolic branch of Perendism, having been established in the country when it was part of the First Sabarine Empire and been present in the country ever since. While the 1879 Bill of Rights established secularism as the official lore of the land, the religion is often considered to be the national religion of Castelana as many national holidays, festivals, traditions and social mores derive from the religion's practices and teachings.

Around 11% of the population are considered to be nonconformistas (nonconformists), a term commonly used to describe those with religious beliefs outside of Apostolic Perendism. Three main groups make up almost the entirety of this group - the Morists, the Rasmeans and the Classical Perendists, of almost equal shares. The Morist community of Castelana is largely concentrated in the border communities near Palia and largely results from overspill of the faith from Palia, while the Rasmean and Classical Perendist communities result from immigration of these groups to Castelana's major cities, with communities being concentrated in cities such as Sãda Mõdanha, Cendraçuda, Pordo Safiro and Treyarnon.

Slightly over 5% of Castelana's population identify as being without religious affiliation.

Culture

As a result of its historical position at the borderlines of the Sabarian Empire, Castelana possesses a unique culture informed by both a heavy Sabarine influence common to much of the Occidental Confederacy and the !Celtic traditions of many nations on the Angulas Peninsula. Castelan society is also defined by the heavy influence of Perendism, with the religion's social teachings influencing many cultural norms and taboos.

The nation is also noted for many cultural divides between its various regions: the culture of Les Ostras is influenced heavily by its !Mediterranean climate of and its strong maritime tradition, while the culture of Les Borias owes more to its mountainous terrain and !Alpine climate and Riania is defined heavily in terms of culture by its status as the only federal entity of Castelana with a !Celtic-speaking majority.

Music and Art

Castelana is noted for a rich folk music tradition which makes use of instruments such as the cauquinho, a small four-stringed guitar developed in the Les Ostras area, as well as the gaidas and other woodwind instruments and percussive instruments such as tambourines and drums.

One of the most prominent styles of Castelan folk music is muzica calharõ, or street music. This genre features largely sparse instrumentation, often being performed by solo acts accompanied by a cauquinho backing in a minor key, with sorrowful vocals and lyrics often detailing feelings of longing and troubled romance. However, in terms of international reputation, this is rivalled by muzica noite, or night music. In opposition to street music, this is performed by bands and features complicated percussive rhythms and simple, major key driven melodies and often instrumental, being intended for dancing.

The nation also has a somewhat significant classical music tradition, with distinct operatic and orchestral traditions, with opera singers such as Flavia Rosas and Alessãdra Areya, pianists such as Nico del Rublo and composers such as Ãdonio las Piras and Mattio Ventrilho providing international recognition to this tradition.

Castelana also possesses a somewhat significant pop music scene, with many attempts at crossover between Castelan folk music and contemporary pop music having gained popularity, such as calharõ nuva, which takes the sorrowful vocals and minor keys of Castelan street music and combines it with electronic instrumentation, and roqua-noite, an electric ukelele-driven, politically charged fusion of rock music styles such as punk, new wave and garage rock with night music. Both of these styles have become very popular since their emergence in the 1980s and 1990s, and have dominated the Castelan popular music charts. The nation has also contributed to electronic music styles, with the development of Castebeat and Castrance being cited as the nation's largest contributions to the genre.