Ardalia
The Republic of Ardalia Republika Ardaska | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Independent |
| Capital and largest city | Hran |
| Official languages | Ardalian |
| Recognised national languages | Standard Caropsyne, Loslakian |
| Religion | Orthodox Church |
| Demonym(s) | Ardalian |
| Government | Unitary Republic |
• Premier | Ardor Raszan |
• Deputy Premier | Leno Frikasz |
| Legislature | Skupstina |
| History | |
• Monarchy | 1000 |
• First Republic | 1912 |
• Letzek Regime | 1947 |
• Second Republic | 1990 |
• Third Republic | 2010 |
| Area | |
• Total | 238,421 km2 (92,055 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 1.80 |
| Population | |
• 2020 census | 35,910,337 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $342.22 billion |
• Per capita | $9,530.00 |
| Gini | 33.7 medium |
| HDI | 0.520 low |
| Currency | Ardalian Kupon (ARK) |
| Time zone | UTC +2 |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +14 |
| ISO 3166 code | AR |
| Internet TLD | .ar |
Ardalia (Ardalian: Ardaska), officially the Republic of Ardalia (Ardalian: Republika Ardaska) is a unitary republic in Southern Thearea. It borders the Caropsyne Pontanore to the northwest, Rygaria to the east, Loslakia to the northeast, and Prassia to the southeast, and shares maritime borders with the Pontanore and Prassia. Its capital and largest city is Hran. The country has a population of 35.9 million. In total, Ardalia covers an area of 238,421 square kilometers organized into fifteen districts.
For over eight hundred years, the country was ruled by a unbroken line of monarchs from the House of Varga who had progressively become cruel autocrats in the final decade of their reign. The monarchy was overthrown in a popular uprising which brought about the establishment of the First Republic in 1912. Unfortuately, the young republic was mired by political instability where governments rose and fell shaking the public's confidence. With the outbreak of the Great War, Ardalia's government aligned itself with the Caropsyne Pontanore and Latagonian Republic. After the war, General Ervin Letzek a staged a military coup and toppled the First Republic. He would go on to rule Ardalia with an iron fist for fifty years before being removed from power in 1990 following the disastrous loss in the Ardalian-Caropsyne War. The Second Republic was formed in the aftermath, and marked a high point for the country but ceased in 2006 due to the start of the devasting Ardalian Civil War. Four long years of bloodshed and destruction has brought about the current Third Republic.
Due to Ardalia's geographic location, it has long been considered a crossroads between eastern and western Thearea enabling it to create a unique and vibrant culture. It is a land of rich fertile plains, snow-capped mountains, and illydic scenic coastlines. While the Republic has witnessed economic gains following the Civil War, it is still a developing country, and classified as a middle-income country. Despite that, it is one of the more developed countries due to the sizable amount of foreign assistance and infrastructure investment provided by the Caropsyne Pontanore since the signing of the Treaty of Taerisz and by Loslakia during Letzek's regime. Ardalia's economy is highly dependent on industry and agriculture, particularly grains, livestock, minerals, and timber. Tourism has grown steady in recent years as individuals from across Thearea flock to the beaches of the Dracian Coast and the ski slopes of the Canthasian Mountains. While known for its relatively high gender equality, Ardalia suffers from a high crime rate (attributed mostly to drug usage, drug trafficking and corruption). It's a member of the United Nations, the Organization of Thearean Nations and the Thearean Common Market.