Barcia

Kingdom of Barcia Regno di Barcia (Idrean)
Flag
Anthem: "Inno Nazionale di Barcia" "National Anthem of Barcia"
Capital and largest city	Tradare
Official languages	Idrean
Recognised regional languages	Ludovite
Demonym(s)	Barcian
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• King	Umberto VI
• Chancellor	Massimiliano Perretti
Legislature	Parliament
Population
• 2021 estimate	34,013,476
Currency	Sabarine Ducat (SDU)
Time zone	UTC0 (Western Auressian Time)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+56
Internet TLD	.ba

Barcia (Idrean: /ba:rtʃiə/), officially the Kingdom of Barcia (Idrean: Regno di Barcia), is an unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy located in eastern Occidental Auressia. Barcia is located on the eastern coast of Auressia along the Galene Sea and is bordered by Fortaine, Palia and Sabaria to the west. The country has a land area of ???km² (??? sq mi) and a population of 34 million making it the Xth largest nation in Auressia by population. Barcia's capital and largest city is Tradare located within the north-east of the country along the river Russa.

Barcia's origins can be traced back to the Sabarine Empire which came to dominate the region during the 3rd century BCE. Barcia would become a strategically important region from the empire providing significant resources and manpower which would allow further conquests across Auressia. Over time the region would become thoroughly Sabarinised and considered an integral part of the imperial heartland. With the decline of the empire however, Barcia came under attack from Isaric tribes, leading to the conquest of much of Barcia's northern coast by the Ludovites in the Tenth Century CE. Over time the Ludovites would solidify their hold on the region and increasing their influence within the empire and at time threatening the power and influence of the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Orlesso which held control of much of eastern Barcia. Following the Fourth War of the Eagles in 1422, Barcia would become one of the most powerful states within the reformed empire along with Palia, gaining significant influence over Imperial elections, with the ruling House of Sabino claiming the title of Emperor on a number of occasions. During the Sixteenth century Barcia also benefitted from its expanding global trade network, which would see the import of spices and silks from Eastern territories such as Nabiya and Songha. With the onset of the Great War Barcia would side with its allies in the Coalition, dividing the empire to the benefit of the Kingdom territorially, however the Second Great War would see the Kingdom undergo a period of political instability resulting in revolution and a war of resistance against the Lanzist Empire.

As a Constitutional monarchy Barcia is one of the few states within Levilion to retain royal family, with the country having been ruled by the House of Sabino since 1378. The current ruler of Barcia is King Umberto VI who has ruled the country since 1987, the current Chancellor is Massimiliano Perretti. As per the Constitution of 1947, Barcia's political system is based on a separation of powers which greatly limits the power of the monarch to intervene in political affairs. The monarch is responsible for appointing the Chancellor who is legally the parliamentary leader best able to command a majority of sitting MPs in the Parliament of Barcia.

Today Barcia continues to play a major role in the Occidental Confederation and across the globe as a key economic and political actor with its powerful economy centred on Tradare making Barcia a global economic and political hub. As a member of the Occidental Confederation Barcia weilds significant influence in Auressian affairs and currently holds the Consulship of the organisation through Fabiana Richardi. Barcia maintains a moderate armed force with a significant navy, both of which are primarily utilised for border security purposes as well as Occidental overseas missions. The largest sectors of the Barcian economy include service industries, notably banking and insurance as well as winemaking, designer fashion and cosmetics. The country maintains a universal healthcare system and is also renowned for its prominent arts and cultural sector.

History

• Early humans
• Sabarine Empire
• Ludovite conquest
• Rising imperial power
• Great upheaval
• Great wars
• Modern day

Culture

Architecture

The Castello Sabinesco is one of the most enduring symbols of Tradare

Cuisine

Barcian Ossobuco served on a bed of pasta and vegetables

Barcia's cuisine is renowned for its distinctive pasta and meat dishes which are predominant throughout the country. Generally, however cuisine tends to differ between more inland and coastal regions, with seafood being much more prominent in coastal areas, particularly in the south. Barcian meals generally consist of 4 courses as is standard across Idrean cultures. An antipasto is usually served first which can consist of a soup, cured meats, cheese or olives. This is then followed by a first course which can consist of pasta or risotto, whilst second course traditionally includes various meat and fish dishes. Finally, notable Barcian desserts include tiramisu and affogato.

Barcia does not have a national dish, though the closest two meals that are usually associated with the country are gnocchi or ossobuco. Barcia is also notable for the widespread use of horse meat within its cuisine which is traditionally served stewed with a red wine sauce and polenta. Compared with other Idrean countries, Barcian cuisine tends to use butter as opposed to olive oil particularly in dishes which originate from the more northerly regions such as Ludovicia. This substitution is a result of the much larger Barcian dairy industry and ensures that Barcian cuisine has a more distinctive taste relative to other Idrean countries. In addition, Barcia's dairy culture has led to a much wider variety of cheeses to originate from the region such as calosan and mascarpone.

Barcia is also known for its considerable wine culture, with red or white wine common drank with most evening meals. Barcian wines from the Trefumia and Ludovicia regions are particularly well reguarded within the international community. The most famous Barcian wine is lambrusco which originates from Ludovicia region as is made with red grapes with the most popular varieties being sparkling wines. In addition to wine, Barcia is also known for its coffee culture. Coffee or espresso is traditionally drank as part of breakfast and Barcia has a wide range of both chain and independent coffee shops. The most famous Barcian coffee brands are Morganelli which is a high-profile coffee maker and Leuzzi which is a brand of coffee shops common across Auressia and the wider world.

Sport

The most popular sport in Barcia by far is association football, with the country renowned for its strong national team which has won a number of international honours and includes world renowned players such as Celso Rulli and Laurentino Rigo. Additionally, Barcian football is well known globally for its domestic footballing competition, the Barcian Superlega. The most successful football teams in Barcia are FC Imperiale and Reale Belvidere who between them hold 26 league titles.

Tennis is the second most popular sport in Barcia, with the sport popular in schools and gymnasiums across the country. Within the international tennis scene, Barcia is known for the Tradare Open lawn tennis tournament which takes place every year in spring. Perhaps the most popular tennis player in the world, Giuda Del Toro, is from Barcia. Del Toro won a total of 17 grand slam titles during his career which spanned both the 1980s and 1990s.

Other notable sports in Barcia include cycling, boxing and squash. Road cycling is particularly popular in Barcia, owing to the annual Giro di Barcia which takes place on public roads across the country. The Giro sees cyclists compete on daily stages over a three week period with stages covering much of the country as well as some neighbouring states such as Sabaria. Stages on the tour regularly rotate every year with the final stage each year ending in the capital of Tradare.