Verdean People
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| More than 320 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 The Republic of Isla Verde | 177,489,577 |
 The People's Republic of Isla Dorado | 55,738,897 |
 The Democratic Republic of Isla Plata | 31,397,499 |
 The Free Republic of Davidos | 26,155,306 |
 The Socialist Republic of Capisaria | 20,724,200 |
 The Confederacy of Lesser Verdean Islands | 9,467,310 |
 The United Nations of Finorskia | 3,958,686 |
 The Cuarzan Confederacy | 1,136,072 |
 The Septonate Brotherhood of Isla Diamante | 154,653 |
| Especia | Unknown, estimated to be more than three million. |
| Other Greater Meridon | Unknown, estimated to be more than one million |
| Languages | |
| Verdean | |
| Religion | |
| Regio dela Verde | |
Verdeans (Masculine: Verdeanos Feminine: Verdeanas, Alternative: Verdistas) are an ethnic group of people hailing from the Verdean Archipelago of Southern Greater Meridon.
The term Verdean has been a long standing term of superiority, and a number of persons who are of dubious ethnic Verdean descent have claimed to be Verdean. A modern alternative term for the traditional Verdeanos or Verdeanos, is Verdistas which is a gender neutral term with religious connotations adopted by many Verdean nations following the Verdean Wars for Independence, which literally means followers of the Jade One.
Though most Verdeans speak either classical or vulgar Verdean, not all do, this is especially true of Verdeans living outside of the the traditionally Culturally Verdean Nations.
History
Verdeans are a Southern Meridonian people, concentrated in the Verdean Archipelago, and to a lesser extent Davidos. Historically, Verdeans were unified under a singular Empire that was often at the technological forefront of Greater Meridon. Contemporary Verdeans are of an unknnown descent, though many archaeologists believe that Verdean antecedents likely came from an area of what would become Northern Versitea or Southern Trelein. Upon arriving on the Verdean Archipelago, the proto-Verdean peoples developed a mostly unified culture, which became increasingly unified under the Verdean Empire. During the early periods of recorded history, Verdeans were mentioned as far as southern Sumavia, with somewhat regular contact with proto-Capisarians and proto-Ghiralis. The defining moment that many historians point to as the beginnings of a unified Verdean people, was the formation of the First Verdean Empire.
Name
The name Verdean is a reference to the deities of Regio dela Verde, it literally means "Child of the Jade One", or in the more modern translations "Follower of the Jade One". This is a reference to the Regio deity most commonly referred to as the Jade One, also known as the Jade Queen or Jade Empress. As the beginnings of the Regio dela Verde faith occurred before the formation of the Verdean Empire, it is believed that it is a major contributor to the formation of the Verdean people as an ethnic group.
Distribution
Verdeans represent one of the largest ethnic groups in Greater Meridon, and possibly Especia as well, with at least two hundred seventy five million persons who are considered to be ethnic Verdeans. The Republic of Verde represents the largest single concentration of ethnic Verdeans with over one hundred seventy million Verdeans living there, and is considered to be the heart of Verdean culture. Other large concentrations exist in other nations, especially in the Verdean Archipelago with fifty five million living on Isla Dorado, and thirty one million living within The Democratic Republic of Isla Plata. The rest of the nations in the Verdean Archipelago are also predominantly ethnically Verdean, though of substantially smaller population than the main three islands. The only nation outside the Archipelago considered to be primarily Verdean is The Free Republic of Davidos, though substantial minorities exist throughout Meridon and Especia, with notable ethnic enclaves existing in the Capisarian cities of San Lumen and Roslinburg, thanks in large part to the diaspora of Verdean peoples during the Imperial period.
Physical Characteristics
Ethnic Verdeans, as a result of racial mixing, and widespread distribution, demonstrate a wide variety of phenotypes. In particular, Verdeans have been seen with a broad variety of skin tones, with the exception of the lightest and darkest of tones. Verdeans are, generally speaking, dark haired, though blonde hair, while very rare, is not entirely unheard of, especially in the cases of Verdeans who have some mixed heritage with Northern Meridonians. Similarly darker eye colors are the most common in Verdean people though Gray eyes are not unheard of, and other eye colors are rare, but have been exhibited in Verdean people. Mixed-heritage Verdeans tend to be significantly more diverse phenotypically speaking, than those who are of purely, or nearly purely ethnically Verdean descent, and in spite of this actual diversity, there are archetypal characteristics that many would consider to be Verdean. The Archtypal Verdean usually is short, generally between 1.4 and 1.6 meters in height, and of a lean build; possessing light brown or olive toned skin, brown or black hair, and brown, or more rarely, gray eyes.
Culture
Verdean ethnic peoples are, as a result of the strong cultural influencer of the Republic of Verde often united culturally speaking. The Republic plays upon this position by exporting its own sense of Verdean culture to other culturally Verdean nations in addition to other Meridonian and Especian nations. Verdeans, generally speaking posses a more collectivist cultural background than a number of other cultures in Meridon, with a strong emphasis placed on the value of communities over that of individuals. Similarly, a cultural emphasis is placed upon a sense of morality, and it is common for Verdeans to posses a strong sense of what is just and what is not.
Language
The language most commonly spoken by ethnic Verdeans are dialects of the Verdean language, with Classical Verdean being favored by longer standing culturally Verdean communities, and its Vulgar counterpart being favored in areas of more recent Verdean settlement, especially in poorer and foreign regions of the Verdean settlement. Verdeans who a minority in a nation-state often speak other languages as well with Isarléan, Valdens, and Treleini being the most common languages spoken by Verdean minority populations.
Religion
Most Verdeans follow, at least nominally, the Regio dela Verde faith. As this religion was one of the major elements that led to the formation of a unified Verdean culture, it remains a relatively strong influence on Verdean culture, though many Verdeans, especially minorites abroad, and in Davidos are far less religious than those in the Republic of Verde, The People's Republic of Isla Dorado, and the Democratic Republic of Isla Plata. Though it is uncommon, some Verdeans, particularly in Lesser Verde and Capisria practice some form of Diternalism. An extremely small group of primitivist Verdeans practice the older proto-faith of El Sacramento.