Oroshia

Oroshan Democratic Republic Kikŋaʔvəvi paŋksisavəvi qaʔłŋavnoči 양치기 민주 공화국
Flag Coat of arms
Capital and largest city	Sochvel
Official languages	Oroshan • Jogin
Recognised regional languages	Namchogi
Ethnic groups (2018)	68% Oroshan 19% Namchogi 9% Jogin 3% Yvlipkan 1% Other
Demonym(s)	Oroshan
Government	Presidential republic
• President	Siłəği Kaŋvič
• Vice President	Ğajkusvi Jəŋotł
Legislature	National Assembly
Independence from the Jogin
• Agreement signed	13 March 1963
• Declared	1 May 1964
Area
• Total	507,039.61 km2 (195,769.09 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 estimate	2,105,500
• 2018 census	2,090,188
• Density	4.15/km2 (10.7/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$11.342 billion
• Per capita	$5,426
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$9.541 billion
• Per capita	$4,565
Gini (2020)	39.8 medium
HDI (2018)	0.775 high
Currency	Kikaŋk (OKK)
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+47
Internet TLD	.or

Oroshia (Oroshan: Vək kikŋaʔvs, pronounced: [vək kigŋaʔfs]; Jogin: 양치기 땅, tr. Yangchigi ttang), officially the Oroshan Democratic Republic (Oroshan: Kikŋaʔvəvi paŋksisavəvi qaʔłŋavnoči; Jogin: 양치기 민주 공화국, tr. Yangchigi minju gonghwagug), is a country in the extreme north-east of Surucia. Oroshia is situated on the eponymic Oroshan peninsula, with the Gyo-chin mountain ranges forming the backbone of the peninsula, interspersed with flatter coastal plain. With a popuation of over 2 million people (as of the 2018 census), it is one of the least populous countries in Surucia, owing to its harsh geography and mostly subarctic climate. Its capital is Sochvel, originally founded by Jogin colonists, which is also the largest city, housing the government and the legislature, the Oroshan National Assembly.

Jogin sailors had known of the area now known as Oroshia for many centuries before true colonization began, when a decree from the Jogin Emperor in 1634 proclaimed all of the Oroshan peninsula to be subsumed under the Jogin realm. Jogin colonization introduced a system of segregation, wherein the Jogin enjoyed a privileged position in society compared to the Oroshans and Namchogi, both of whom were nomadic peoples until the widespread introduction of agriculture through colonization. The use of the Oroshan and Namchog languages was discouraged, and they were banned for use in education.

Resistance to colonial policies culminated in the Tilgin rebellion in 1879, where Indigenous Oroshans took up arms agains the Jogin colonial government, but were defeated. Oroshia participated in both Great Wars under Jogin rule, sending expeditionary forces but having no direct control over foreign policy. Mounting calls for independence produced several discussions and summits, where eventually an agreement to independence was signed in 1963. On 1 May 1964, Oroshia was granted formal independence, and adopted a presidential republican government.

Since independence, Oroshia has strengthened ties with the Western world through trade, aligning itself closer to Albrennia rather than the emerging anti-Western bloc countries, for example Songha. Modern Oroshan society is relatively free, though the Oroshan government continues to receive criticism from Western countries with which it trades for freedom of elections and freedom of press violations. The current President of Oroshia is Siłəği Kaŋvič, from the Oroshan Freedom and Democracy—Union Party, successive iterations of which have maintained power since independence.

Etymology

The common Rythenian name, Oroshia, derives from the Keian phrase 放浪者の土地 (tr. Hōrō-sha no tochi), meaning "wanderer-land" or "nomad-land", in reference to the originally nomadic reindeer pastoralist tribes that occupied the area before colonization. The first element, 放浪者, Hōrō-sha, was adopted by Rythenian-speaking traders, who had first learned of Oroshia from Keian sailors. A calque of this term is used in Jogin, where Oroshia is referred to as 양치기 땅 (tr. Yangchigi ttang), the first element of which also means "wanderer" or "shepherd". This is a source for a former Rythenian name for Oroshia, Anchegia, which was used, although not widely, in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Natively, Oroshia is known as Vək kikŋaʔvs, meaning "land of the reindeer chiefs". This is derived from their endonym, kikŋaʔv, which means "reindeer chiefs", and in some ways has a similar meaning to "nomad" or "shepherd", but does not have the colonial association that the other exonyms do. Because of these colonial connotations of some exonyms, beginning in the 1940s, the anti-colonial movement called for the territory to be renamed with an endonym, with Kignavia the most popular suggestion. After independence, it was decided to keep the name Oroshia in Rythenian, however there are still calls for the exonym to be replaced.

History

Oroshan history is unique in being a colony on the same continent as its colonizer, though its remoteness in the pre-industrial era limited contact between the colony and its sovereign controller. This remoteness led to a diminished influence of Jogin culture in Oroshia, especially in terms of population. Less than 10 percent of the Oroshan population identify as Jogin in origin, and most ethnic Jogin in Oroshia today speak Oroshan, and not Jogin, though Jogin remains an official language for the purposes of bureaucracy.

Prehistory and early contact

Not much is known about Oroshia before colonization by the Jogin, since there are no written records left behind by Indigenous Oroshans. There is evidence of trade with much of eastern Isuan, judging from artifacts that could only have arrived through trade with distant places. The Eastern Department's captial city, Yaykvek, is widely known for being built on the site of a former seasonal fishing ground, where reindeer herders would fish seasonally in the winter, when the inland pasture grounds became unsuitable for the reindeer herds. Many artifacts have been recovered from the area around Yaykvek, including pottery from as far south as Songha.

A boat-shaped pot recovered from fields around Yaykvek, from Songha.

Due to the proximity with the historical Jogin realm, Jogin and Keian sailors had known of what is now Oroshia for many centuries, and were lured to its waters by tales of bountiful fish. Trade began peacefully, but soon turned more violent as the Jogin's expansionist aims solidified, with Jogin sailors kidnapping native Oroshans after skirmishes on the shore on multiple occasions.

The trade route overseas to the Jogin Empire proper was treacherous, though, and overland trade came to dominate between the two areas. Fish, which proved so valuable to the Jogin, could only be exported in the warmer months of the year, when overland passes were not restricted by weather. Gradually, more trading posts were established, where the Jogin overwintered and continued trading. A fort was built at Balungang (now Sochvel), becoming the first large Jogin settlement in Oroshia. In 1634, the Jogin emperor decreed Oroshia part of the Jogin realm, formally beginning the centuries-long process of colonization.

Jogin colonization

However, due to the remoteness of Oroshia, a combination of challenging mountainous terrain and dangerous overseas routes, the Jogin presence in Oroshia never grew strong until the industrial era, when rail transport became viable. The colonizers made attempts to outlaw the Oroshan language, first in the Jogin Language Decree of 1734, and cultural practices over centuries, which was met with great resistance by the Indigenous Oroshans, culminating in the Tilgin Rebellion of 1879. The Jogin's introduction of agriculture into the region allowed much greater productivity from the land, and its fertile soils came to provide a large surplus of food, which would be sent back to the Jogin Empire.

Railroads allowed greater contact and mobility through Oroshia's harsh landscape.

The burgeoning agriculture industry initially led to a higher quality of life for Oroshans, beginning in the early 1790s, but the Jogin colonizers soon introduced taxes and quotas to ensure strict control of food production, which was exploited at the benefit of the wider Jogin Empire. During the first wave of industrialization of Oroshia, ushered in during the 1880s and coinciding with innovations that allowed railways to be constructed in Oroshia's challenging terrain, Jogin authorities were careful to carefully control the industries and businesses that developed, to ensure that the balance of power was never tipped out of their favour.

Great Wars and independence

During the First and Second Great Wars, Oroshia sent expeditionary forces to fight on behalf of the Jogin Empire, but was never involved in either conflict as a sovereign entity, only as a colony of the Jogin. After the Second Great War, calls for independence grew, but the Jogin Empire had an increasing desire to hold onto the territory for its abundance of natural resources and industrial sector in the midst of its second industrial boom. Successive deals were reached on autonomy, gaining its own parliament in 1958, and a final agreement, including independence, was agreed upon and signed in 1963, with independence to follow in 1964.

Modern era

The National Assembly building was constructed in 1962, after Oroshia was afforded self-rule in 1958.

In the modern era, Oroshia has been relatively stable, adopting a presidential democratic system after independence, although the freedom of elections is widely debated and criticized by leading democratic countries in Levilion, including its main trading partner, Albrennia. The Oroshan Freedom and Democracy Party emerged victorious in the first independent elections in November 1964, and has maintained power ever since, though having merged in 1987 with the Union Party to form the current Oroshan Freedom and Democracy—Union Party.

Oroshia's abundant natural resources continue to be valuable assets in foreign relations and for itself, and trades actively with major countries around the world. The population boom experienced immediately following the Second Great War powered a second industrialization and a rapidly growing economy, but the rate of population growth has declined steadily since the 1980s. Several researchers have warned that a population decline could be disastrous for Oroshia, lacking the services to adequately support an aging population while also lacking the young population to continue current levels of employment.

Geography

Oroshia is surrounded on three sides by ocean. In the south and east, Oroshia borders the North Demontean Ocean, while in the north, it borders the Northern Ocean. In the west, Oroshia is bordered by the larger Surucian continental landmass. Oroshia occupies the entire eponymic Oroshan peninsula, in the centre of which are the Gyo-chin mountains (Jogin: 거친 산, tr. geochin san; Oroshan: Ğajkğiʔn). This large geographical contrast drives many other terrestrial processes, and much of the internal workings of the country.

Topography

The Sochvel River in the southern lowlands

Oroshia is dominated by highlands and mountains, save small areas in the extreme south and northwest. The gently sloping Sochvel valley, formed by the river of the same name, meets the ocean at the Ol-omol Bay (Jogin: 얼음물, tr. eol-eummul; Oroshan: Sičnoməğ), and is the site of the capital city, also called Sochvel (Balungang) (Oroshan: Sočvəł; Jogin: 빠른 강, tr. ppaleun gang). The Ol-omol Bay is a part of the larger Neihai Sea (Huranian: 内海, tr. nèihǎi), itself a marginal sea of the Demontean Ocean.

The northwestern lowlands are a series of marshes that have been formed by the sedimentation and gradual infilling of Shizumutochi Bay (Keian: 沈む土地湾, tr. shizumu tochi-wan; Oroshan: Əvłəpvək ajpməğ), a marginal sea of the Northern Ocean.

A relief map of Oroshia

The highest point in Oroshia is in the Gyo-chin range, just east of the geographic centre of the country. The peak Kəvkəvəvi vaŋaŋč, ("It is groaning sickly", either derived from a folk tale, or from the whistling sound of the wind through the highest peaks), is the country's highest point, at 1,782 metres (5,846 ft.). Most of the country is heavily forested, with over 90% having full tree cover. The main exception are the marshes in the northwest. The average elevation of Oroshia, owing to the mountains, is over 600 metres.

Rivers originate in the mountains, and then flow down to the coast, the most important of which are the Sochvel (Sočvəł) River and the Koynovel (Quğnovəł) River, both of which flow into the Demontean Ocean, and the Bangvel (Paŋkvəł) River, which flows into the Neihai Sea, then into the Demontean, and forms some of the the western border of Oroshia, hence its name in Oroshan, "divide river". In Oroshan, vəł means "river", so the Rythenization of the river names ending in "-vel" followed by "River" is a tautology. Oroshia is divided into eight major watersheds, four of which flow generally south into the Demontean, including Ol-omol Bay and the Neihai Sea, one flows east at Kavyin Bay (Oroshan: Kavğinənts ajpməğ) into the Demontean, and three flow north into the Northern Ocean, including Shizumotochi Bay.

The eight major watersheds in Oroshia

The coast of Oroshia is fairly straight in the north, owing to the subduction of the Brevian Plate under the Surucian Plate, a process which continues to build the Gyo-chin mountains. In the south, it is more rugged, with an extension of the Gyo-chin mountain range (alternatively, a separate Angachyin mountain range) forming the Angachyin peninsula (Oroshan: Aŋkačğinvək), south of which lies Ayptuk Island (Oroshan: Ajptək), Oroshia's largest island.

Climate

A Köppen climate map of Oroshia

Oroshia is dominated by continental climates, as per the Köppen climate classification system. This is the result of the large influence of the Surucian landmass, which creates a continental seasonal variation effect that occurs in the yearly climate cycle. Oroshia lies between the latitudes of 30°N and 60°N, which means that the prevailing air currents are mid-latitude westerlies caused by the surface realization of Ferrell cells. In the summer, the nothern sub-tropical terrestrial low-pressure zone moves northward, driven by increased insolation in the northern hemisphere, intensifying these winds, which manifest in Oroshia as a northerly maritime wind.

This wind is still too dry to cause much precipitation in the extreme south of Oroshia, at least during the summer. In the winter, though, the decreased influence of the northerly wind coupled with the increased influence of southward-moving polar air masses in Rossby waves causes convectional precipitation. Places in the extreme south belong to the Mediterranean-like dry warm-summer humid continental climate type, where there is, on average, 3 times more precipitation received in the winter than the summer.

Much of the northwest belongs to a colder Mediterranean-like climate, the Mediterranean-like dry warm-summer subarctic climate. This is due to the rain shadow of the Gyo-chin mountains blocking the summer maritime air, and very little precipitation makes it to the northwest in this season. In the winter, again, the interaction between cold polar air masses and a lessened northerly maritime wind creates convectional precipitation that is, on average, 3 times as great in volume as that during the summer months.

The eastern Gyo-chin mountains, west of Yaykvek

Conversely, the south side of the Gyo-chin range receives much more rain during the summer than the winter, in some places up to ten times the winter precipitation level, producing a monsoon-influenced warm summer humid continental and monsoon-influenced subarctic climates, the difference between the two being the temperature of the coldest month. The subarctic climate is generally colder than its humid continental counterpart, and in Oroshia, the subarctic type tends to occur at higher elevations. The moist maritime summer air is lifted by the elevation of the mountains, which then hits its lifting condentation level and creates substantial orographic precipitation down the south side of the mountains. When the maritime air currents are weaker in the winter, this effect decreases dramatically.

Intermediate between the dry summer-wet winter Mediterranean-like climates and the wet summer-dry winter monsoon-influenced climates are areas where both of these processes have some influence, creating a more moderated, varied climate throughout the year. These are the general warm summer humid continental and subarctic climates, with the humid continental type being dominant in the southwest, and a subarctic climate dominant throughout the north and northeast.

Flora and fauna

Temple juniper.

Given the mainly mountainous terrain of Oroshia, most of the flora variety in the country is of alpine varieties, except in the western lowlands. Based on elevation, the categories of flora vary from tundra types at the most extreme, ranging to coniferous and mixed forests at the lowest elevations. Mainly deciduous flora may predominate in the western lowlands. Plant species have been used for generations medicinally and for food, and about 350 species are listed as at least threatened as of 2020.

Surucian lynx.

Examples of commonly found alpine species are temple juniper, Oroshian cedar, and Oroshian larch. At lower elevations, East Surucian alder, iron birch, and Huranian maple, among others, may transition between being dominant to mixing with conifers depending on altitude. In the virtually separate ecological region of the western lowlands, species such as Huranian tubergourd and variegated-leaf hardy kiwi may be present.

Despite the variation in flora, the fauna of Oroshia mostly range across the entire country, with few species isolated to a certain part of the country. Various kinds of owls, such as Blackiston's fish owl, can be found inland, and many seabirds, such as the scaly-sided merganser can be found at sea. The Keian tiger, Keian leopard, Surucian lynx, wild boar, Oroshan roe, and spotted deer can be found throughout the entire country. Plentiful stocks of salmon and crab are also found, primarily off the southern coast, as the northern coast tends to be too cold in the winter.