User:Occred/Sandbox3

Union of Rhowyden Rhowyden
Flag of Rhowyden Flag Emblem of Rhowyden Emblem
Motto: "Beneath the pavement, the beach."
Anthem: Solidarity Forever
Logo of CERES File:Logo of CERES.svg
Map of Rhowyden's Regions Map of Rhowyden's Regions
Capital	Gydenborg (de facto)
Largest	Mikelby
Working language	Rhowysh
National languages	Avonic Burnish Cargish Howingese Merelandic Sharlan
Religion	63% No religion 31% Velism 6% Other
Demonym(s)	Rhowysh
Government	Council federation
• General-Secretary	Aaa
• Presiding Arbiter	Aaa
• Chief Coordinator	Aaa
Legislature	Public Forum
Formation
• Dagerby culture	c. 30,000 BCE
• Sovereign Copper Culture	c. 2000 BCE
• Aughtonian Confederation	c. 600 CE
• Valsian invasions	c. 14th century CE
• Malachite Declaration	16 March 1642 CE
• Vital Revolution	1979-1991
Area
•	32,356,439 km2 (12,492,891 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census	845,245,440.00
• Density	26.12/km2 (67.7/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$42.7 trillion
• Per capita	50,523
Gini	15.3 low
HDI	0.955 very high
Currency	Sol (ᛋ) (ROS)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+23
ISO 3166 code	RW
Internet TLD	.rw

Rhowyden (/roʊwɪdɛn/ ROH-wih-den), officially the Union of Rhowyden, is a sovereign country encompassing the continent of Rhowyden, the island of Sharlow, the smaller surrounding islands, and dozens of overseas autonomous territories. Most of its land area of 32,356,439 km² (12,493,000 mi²) is characterized by cold, wet, mixed forests, although the southern coast is warm year-round. It is surrounded by oceans on all sides. The de facto administrative capital of Rhowyden is Gydenborg, while its largest city is Mikelby. Other major urban centers include Lisitas, Bramwin, Leraster, and Leander.

Humans first arrived in Rhowyden around 30,000 CE during the last ice age Beginning in the 15th century, large numbers of Proto-Valsian peoples of undocumented origins began arriving by sea on the west side of the continent, conquering and assimilating much of the indigenous population by the beginning of the 17th century, leaving a plethora of large, independent warlord states in the wake of the campaign. In the 1640s, the Archimandry of Holburn was the first recorded great power on the continent, briefly conquering most of the continent’s eastern half, before collapsing during the Malachite Wars from 1719-1742. Industrialization of the continent began amid these conflicts, with the first commercial steam engines entering use in Leraster in 1732. The ensuing economic and technological boom led to dramatic urbanization and socioeconomic upheaval, until much of the continent began transitioning into a deindustrialized service-based economy in the mid-20th century. Rising discontentment due to precarious economic conditions, environmental degradation, and rising authoritarianism led to the Vital Revolution beginning in 1979, which eventually unified the continent into the modern polity of Rhowyden.

Today, Rhowyden is a libertarian socialist council federation where the predominant political current is vitalism. It is divided into 6 regions, 42 zones, and 9,735 autonomies. The federal government is based upon the Community for Equity, Research, Ecology, and Security (CERES), and a system of advanced e-democracy is implemented at all levels. Rhowyden utilizes a decentralized planned economy in which basic needs have been decommodified and all firms are either employee-owned or community-owned, with production coordinated through an advanced decision support system named DAGDA. Major industries and exports include foodstuffs, forest products, commercial vehicles, industrial machinery, telecommunications, and tourism. Rhowyden ranks highly in international measurements of political freedoms, government transparency, education, and quality of life.

Etymology

The name Rhowyden is derived from the Middle Rhowysh word ‘’prowetinne’’ (“prophetess”). It first entered common usage in the mid-1700s as a derivation of Prowetinnesrewlm, referring to the Archimandry of Holburn and the wide-reaching influence of Archabbess Alinora the Most Holy. Though the “Prophetess’s Realm” dissolved in 1739, the name remained in use for at least a generation and began being used as a common name for the continent by the turn of the 19th century. Among speakers of Burnish and Merelandic, the word soon mutated into Rhowetinn, and eventually Rhowyden, following the establishment of standardized spelling by the now defunct Academy for the Rhowysh Language.

History

Reconstruction of a Bronze Age Dagerby culture settlement.

Rhowyden has been continuously inhabited by modern humans since at least 30,000 BCE, when it is hypothesized that paleolithic fishermen reached the continent by sea while following seal populations. The oldest known evidence of human habitation is found in Haser on the northern coast of Sharlow, where a stone carving depicting a fish dating back to approximately 30,000 BCE was found in 1962. These indigenous inhabitants, who are called the Dagerby culture by modern historians, proceeded to spread out across Sharlow and then mainland Rhowyden. Humans are believed to have reached the southern coast by 15,000 BCE.  

Around 2,000 BCE, the first evidence of metallurgy appears in the archaeological record. The Sovereign Copper Culture, centered around Lake Sovereign (for which the historical group is named), began producing copper jewelry and later tools, eventually moving into bronzeworking by the 5th century BCE. Tools from this period are found throughout the Thousand Lakes basin and as far south as modern Lisitas. The Sovereign Copper Culture is believed to be the first major regional polity in Rhowyden.

By the 6th century CE, knowledge of advanced metalworking had disseminated far from Lake Sovereign and other groups began competing with the Sovereign Copper Culture for resources. The most successful of these rivals was the Aughton Confederation, named for the town of Aughton where ruins of their capital (whose name remains unknown) were discovered. This confederation spanned much of the southern Great Bay region in the early first millennium CE. In the 12th century, the eruption of the volcano Mt. Bedes in northern Sharlow caused a volcanic winter in much of Rhowyden, caused a tsunami which temporarily submerged the Dagerby peninsula, and cast a toxic cloud over much of the continent's eastern half that killed an estimated 20 million people.

Valsian invasions

In the 1300s, large groups of Proto-Valsian peoples began arriving on the west coast of Rhowyden. While their origins were never recorded, archaeological and linguistic evidence suggests that they came from <<PLACEHOLDER>>, forced to leave in a mass exodus potentially indirectly caused by Mt. Bedes's volcanic winter.

The Proto-Valsians engaged in a brutal war of subjugation against the continent's inhabitants, establishing the Kingdom of Valsia in southern Sharlow and sending out independent expeditionary forces to the mainland with promises of their own kingdoms. The exact reasoning behind this feverish conquest, but limited historical records suggest it was religious in nature. This is also where records of Ys, the primary deity in Velism, are found for the first time, as the Valsian war goddess Iyozh.

By the 17th century, most of the continent had been conquered by Valsian invaders in some form and numerous independent warlord states began to form around victorious mercenary captains and warrior-princes. However, in most places, the Valsian invaders began assimilating into the indigenous culture, creating a new creole culture that eventually formed the foundation of the modern Rowysh culture.

Malachite era

1682 portrait of Alinora the Most Holy.

The late 1600s were marked by the rise of the Archimandry of Holburn, ruled by Alinora the Most Holy, who claimed to be a prophetess of Ys and spearheaded a millenarianist movement in the Great Velgard. Under her leadership, the Kingdom of Holburn was subsumed by the Velgard into a theocratic confederation, and went on to conquer much of the eastern half of the continent in the Malachite Wars, beginning in 1687. The term "malachite" was applied to the conflict by the supporters of Alinora (the "Alinorists"), referring to the symbolic meanings of malachite such as rebirth and protection, and eventually adopted by Alinora herself.

A coalition of the Kingdoms of Sharlow, Avony, and Howingar, nominally united under Matriarch Avril III (the "Avrilists"), united against Holburn. The war's demands resulted in the first steps towards industrialization on the continent. The first steam engine entered use in 1732 in Mikelby, but superior logistical planning allowed mass-production of firearms and cannons to begin in Bramwin in 1735, turning the war in favor of the Avrilists. The war ended in 1742 with the collapse of the Archimandry and Alinora's suicide by self-immolation. However, popular support remained in favor of the Alinorists and resulted in a series of revolts that established several Alinorist Velist states throughout the east.

Modern era

The political situation in Rhowyden remained very volatile after the end of the Malachite War.

Geography

Most of Rhowyden consists of the continent of the same name, which is 28,755,303 km² and lays between latitudes 55°N and 32°N and longitudes 173°W and 66°W. Despite its large size, Mainland Rhowyden's climate and terrain are relatively consistent, with wet, continental forests spanning most of the continent. North of the Thousand Lakes, the northern third of the continent has a subarctic climate with harsh, cold winters and short summers. The moderating effects of the Veta Winds and Thousand Lakes ensure that Rhowyden is unusually warm despite its high latitude, meaning that, even in some of the more northerly regions, productive agriculture is still possible during the short summers. Some regions, such as the Dagerby Peninsula, can receive more than 400 cm in snow annually.

Köppen climate map of Rhowyden.

The majority of the continent is divided between warm-summer versus cold-summer continental climates in the north and south, and monsoonal versus distributed precipitation in the east and west. In the southeast, a humid subtropical climate persists year-round, with some southern-pointing peninsulas even experiencing a Mediteranean-type climate. The city of Yupoly on the southern coast of Avony is the only place in Mainland Rhowyden that has a tropical climate. The island of Sharlow, located across the Great Bay and Mazarine Sea from the mainland, is approximately 4,263,670 km², making it the country's largest island. The northern half of Sharlow is subarctic tundra, while the southern half is a warm continental climate reminiscent of mainland Mereland. Sharlow's is the only part of Rhowyden with active volcanos, which have shaped much of the landscape. As a result, Sharlow is also the only part of the country to normally experience earthquakes.

The Great Bay, located on the west coast between Sharlow and Mereland, is notable because its water is nearly fresh due to the immense drainage of many rivers into it and more brackish seawater being limited by the Dagerby Peninsula and Olan Islands. Aside from the area immediately surrounding the western boundary, the Great Bay's water has salinity levels that allow for safe human consumption. The Great Bay is linked to the Thousand Islands by the Great Canal, which runs nearly 2000 kilometers through southern Mereland, between the major cities of Leraster and Mikelby.

Rhowyden's highest point is the Juniveil, at 2723 meters, and its lowest point is the Great Green Lake at 7 meters below sea level. The highest temperature ever recorded in Rhowyden was 39°C, in Yupoly in 2023, while the lowest temperature ever recorded in Rhowyden was -48°C in Varholm in 1997

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  The Juniveil is the highest point in Rhowyden at 2723 meters.

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  Winter on the shore of Lake Sovereign.

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  Vineyards in eastern Avony.

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  Cranes taking flight in a marsh in northern Mereland.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Rhowyden

Rhowyden is a federation of council republics in the vitalist tradition. The current polity came into existence in 1989 towards the end of the Vital Revolution. Most of Rhowyden's executive and legislative functions fall under the purview of the Community for Equity, Research, Ecology, and Security (abbreviated as CERES), which is legally a supranational union of all 9,735 autonomies that make up the country. Membership in CERES requires adherence to the Basic Code, the organization's foundational document, which stipulates various protections of human, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as integration into the union's decentralized economic planning system. The core of the political system is the Public Forum, afederated digital e-democracy platform that allows any permanent resident to research, debate, and vote on most policy issues and referenda and which functions as the country's de facto legislative branch. The official legislature, the General Convention, is an annual conference where representatives from each autonomy attend workshops, seminars, and courses about various political and economic issues.

Executive power rests with the [[Working Committee (Rhowyden)|Working Committee}}, an assembly of 33 commissioners, liaisons, and representatives.

Demographics

Rhowyden's large population of 845,245,440.00 has a relatively low population density of 26.12 per square kilometer (67.7 per square mile). Most of the population is concentrated on the western and south coasts, although the Thousand Lakes area in northern Mereland is a notable exception. The population is also highly urbanized, with 85% living in an urban area, but metropolitan areas rarely exceed populations of 500,000. The largest city in the country is Mikelby, with a population of 2,333,627 as of 2020.

There are no official statistics regarding ethnicity. Numerous polls suggest that approximately 30% of the Rhowysh population is either foreign-born or have foreign-born parents. Rhowyden's policy of open borders and refugee resettlement have resulted in a constant influx of foreign immigrants since the 1980s, which is credited with causing Rhowyden's population to increase by over 30% since 1990 despite the stall in population growth caused by the Vital Revolution, from 633,750,000 in 1990 to 845,245,440.00 in 2020. As of 2023, Rhowyden's population growth rate is estimated to be 1.7% per year, which is unusually high for a country of Rhowyden's level of development.

Largest cities or towns in Rhowyden Source: CERES Economic Coordination Commission
	Rank		Zone	Pop.	Rank		Zone	Pop.
Mikelby Bramwin	1	Mikelby	Great Bay Moraine Zone	2,333,627	11	Drytholm	Maritime Sharlan Coastal Zone	1,240,312	Leraster Leander
	2	Bramwin	Istervanic Archipelago Zone	2,041,099	12	Timmingham	Great Bay Moraine Zone	1,238,488
	3	Leraster	Lake Sovereign Basin Zone	1,980,445	13	Rosheamus	Southern Meric Lowlands Zone	1,223,188
	4	Leander	Green River Delta Zone	1,976,742	14	Glasmere	Great Green Lake Basin Zone	1,178,455
	5	Balworth	Balworth Bay Zone	1,722,998	15	Kininkle	Sea of Spears Zone	1,047,350
	6	Lisitas	Salhet Peninsula Zone	1,608,764	16	Delwen	Abbey Straits Zone	965,237
	7	Gydenborg	Lake Sovereign Basin Zone	1,517,065	17	Rinbrouk	Great Bay Moraine Zone	946,420
	8	Yupoly	South Avonic Tropical Coastal Zone	1,463,413	18	Lanasford	Great Green Lake Basin Zone	888,592
	9	Josbury	Southern Meric Lowlands Zone	1,456,788	19	Sorden	Howingese Northern Plateau Zone	755,331
	10	Drosstad	Salhet Peninsula Zone	1,318,435	20	Mansfeld	Aspholm Bay Zone	721,098