Wolfgalia

The Natural Dominion of Wolfgalia
Flag
Motto: "They say it takes a mountain. We say it takes a rock."
Coat of Arms
File:Wolfgalia Map.jpg
Capital	Wolfgale
Largest	Triboro City
Official languages	Galee and Astari
Recognised national languages	English
Demonym(s)	Wolfgalian
Government	Federal Constitutional Parliamentary Republic
• Head of State	Chief Daria Callowest
• Prime Minister	Carson Vogreeene
• Head of Senate	Marvella Lewi
• Speaker of the House of Commons	Closen Horne
• Chief Justice	Eulalie Harrower
Formation
• Wolfgalia Declared an Independent Nation	1832
Population
• 2015 estimate	62,100,000
Currency	yard (YRD)
Date format	mm.dd.yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+2112
Internet TLD	.wgl

The Natural Dominion of Wolfgalia is a mid-sized country composed of nine provinces, located on the central west coast of the continent of Atracia in Anteria. The state was formed by the Astari, originally as a protectorate, to protect trade with the Galea Tribe of the River Delta region. The Astari protectorate began its transition into nationhood in 1832 when after a war in the Astari home continent that formed a single nation of Astariax, the tribe believed itself to be able to operate independently of protection and declared itself a sovereign state. Later that year, leaders from the largest cities in the Wolfgale and Galea regions of the protectorate came together and signed the Declaration of Nationhood for Wolfgalia, declaring the land to be the home of The Natural Dominion of Wolfgalia.

This overview of Wolfgalia won Featured Article in Anteria for the week of 09/23/18.

Etymology

The name Wolfgalia comes from the roots “Wolf” and “Galea.” “Wolf” refers to the animal (the wolf), the sigil of the Astari Traders. It was chosen for the large population of Galea wolves (Egyptian wolves) who inhabited the forests in the region. “Galea” refers to the Galea tribe who inhabited the land for thousands of years before the arrival of the Astari. When the two groups came together with the Galea under the protection of the Astari, they chose Wolfgalia, a representation of all facets of the Galea culture.

Demographics

Language

There are many languages used across Wolfgalia, but the overwhelming majority of citizens speak both Astari and Galee, the original language of the Galea Tribe. Approximately 96% of citizens speak both languages, and approximately 68% of citizens speak English, carried over during trade and imperialism. Approximately 52% of citizens speak a language found outside of Wolfgalia. It is strongly recommended that all foreign immigrants speak or learn either Astari or Galee, but it is not required. Most Wolfgalian companies and organizations are willing to accommodate for foreign language speakers.

Wolfgalia's Capital University, located in the capital Wolfgale, is renowned for having one of the best Foreign Language programs in all of Anteria.

People

The ethnic makeup of Wolfgalia consists mostly of Galea Tribe natives as well as some Astariaxi background, the two original groups in the nation, but there are large groups of other ethnicities across Wolfgalia. Farran City, located on the southern end of the Wolfgalian coast, has the largest ethnic diversity per square mile in the nation, with no ethnic group in the city making up more than 50% of the citizens.

History

Pre-Colonization period

The first known inhabitants of the river delta region (named for the river delta where the tribe settled) were the Galea Tribe who inhabited the land for approximately 2400 years before the arrival of traders. The tribe strongly believed in the existence of two gods who shaped and protected the earth, twins named Farran (male, god of the land, his name directly translates in Galee to “Forest”) and Stel (female, goddess of the sea, her name directly translates in Galee to “Water”).

The Galea tribe built villages all along the south bank of the northern river in the region (present day Yorke-Wolf River), the largest of which they named Stelton, meaning “meeting waters,” as it was located at the meeting of two rivers which combined into a third. The land was extremely fertile and surrounded by lush forests, allowing for great prosperity in farming and hunting for the Galea tribe.

Arrival of the Astari Traders

In 1710, three ships of Astari traders arrived on the edge of the river delta region. The traders immediately built two settlements right next to each other, Firsttown and Rivermouth. Finding the land more than suitable for a base of operations for trading, they sent word back to Astari that they were staying across the ocean for a time. A year later, four more ships arrived with more traders and resources that could be used for trade. The two settlements expanded over the next few years into large towns. In 1716, six years after arriving in the River Delta region, the traders still had no luck in finding anyone to trade with. Yet due to the relentlessness of the traders, Rivermouth traders moved across the river and inhabited two other riverbanks in hopes of finding partners to trade with. The three riverside settlements named themselves Triboro due to the three locations making up the town.

Astari and Galea Meet

After the traders had been settled for some time in the river delta region, in the year 1717, three groups of surveyors were sent out to explore more of the area. One group followed the coast south, one followed the river inland, and one group went north along the coast. This third group came across the northern river, and after some debate, chose to follow the river. After two weeks of exploring, they came across the Galea Tribe. Despite the Astari and the Galea Tribe speaking different languages, they immediately greeted each other with hospitality and kindness. The Galea Tribe believed that all people should be considered good until proven otherwise and took the explorers in and gave them food and rest. The explorers returned to the Astari settlements and shared their discovery. Two years later, the governing members of Firsttown voted unanimously to try and connect with the Galea Tribe to encourage trade, unaware of the greater effect their decision would have.

From 1717 to 1764, the two groups flourished in trade and bonding at an unprecedented pace. The Astari introduced their technology and the Galea Tribe spread their culture and food. In 1721, the Galea Tribe presented corn to the Astari for trade, valuable to the latter for its short growing season, cementing Galea value in Astari presence. The groups learned each other’s languages, and by the year 1764, were practically one, bicultural society, with many Galea Tribe members having moved to Triboro and the surrounding region, and many Astari having spread further inland, developing more settlements for trade.

Protectorate Status

In 1764, the Astari claimed the entire region of the Galea Tribe as a protectorate of the Astari in order to protect trade in the region. The Galea Tribe were not concerned about this, as they now understood the technology and the ways of the outside world and were glad for the protection as they were still racing to become a modern society. The Astari in the region, having adopted the wolf (an animal native to the region) as a sigil due to frequent sightings, chose to name the protectorate Wolfgalia, combining their presence and the presence of the Galea Tribe. As a protectorate, the tribe slowly caught up to the world in technology and eventually became a significant (albeit small) presence on the world stage. Through all of this, however, the Galea Tribe remained loyal to their original culture and maintained a devout respect for the twin gods and were adamant about the use of Galee as the language of the protectorate.

A Nation is Formed

In 1832, internal wars in Astariax ended and the nation was dealing with problems of its own, too many to focus on Wolfgalia. Wolfgalia had become mostly independent at this point and only relied significantly on Astariax for trade. Leaders from major Wolfgalian cities came together in the city of Wolfgale in late January and drafted a document for independence for Wolfgalia.

On March 19th, 1943, Wolfgalian leaders and the government of Astariax signed the Declaration of Nationhood for Wolfgalia, officially declaring Wolfgalia an independent nation.

Government

The Government of Wolfgalia is a Federal Constitutional Parliamentary Republic. It respects Chief Daria Callowest as the head of state, although the position holds minimal power. It is more of a figurehead position, as the executive head of government is the Prime Minister. The government also has a judicial branch made up of a supreme court which holds 11 seats. There is also a legislative branch consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Commons. The responsibilities of the two houses differ, although in many cases including amending the national constitution, both houses must have a passing vote. The national election day is December 2nd, and is held on the national level every two years.

Parliament

The two houses of the legislative branch make up the parliament. The first house, the House of Commons, is made up of 620 members who are elected by districts made up of roughly equal populations. Members of the House of Commons serve 4 year terms and hold elections for all 620 seats every four years, turning over the entire house (with exception to those who are re-elected). The Progressive Party currently holds the majority in the House of Commons. The second house, the Senate, is made up of 90 members who represent the three counties in each of Wolfgalia's provinces, the capital Wolfgale, and the territories of Francessia and the Wole Ola Islands. Each county has three representing senators. Senators hold a six year term, with one senatorial seat from each county up for election every two years. The Progressive Party currently holds the majority in the Senate. Here are the seat layouts for the houses of parliament in Wolfgalia:

Seat layout of the House of Commons:

▇ Progressive Party: 310 seats (Ruling)

▇ National Party: 256 seats (Opposition)

▇ New Era Party: 39 seats

▇ Socialist Party: 11 seats

▇ Independent: 4 seats

Seat layout of the Senate:

▇ Progressive Party: 46 seats (Ruling)

▇ National Party: 36 seats (Opposition)

▇ New Era Party: 6 seats

▇ Socialist Party: 1 seats

▇ Independent: 1 seats

Executive Branch

Wolfgalia's Executive Branch is run by A Prime Minister, with a cabinet appointed to hold departmental positions. When a Prime Minister's term is complete, the Senate nominates a new Prime Ministerial Candidate. If at least two thirds of the Senate approves of the candidate, a vote goes out to the Wolfgalian people. At least half of the people must vote yes for the Prime Ministerial Candidate to be elected into the position. If the vote fails, the Senate must nominate a second candidate. If the second vote fails, the House of Commons must nominate a candidate. If the third vote fails, each party of Wolfgalia may nominate a candidate to participate in an election, where the people of Wolfgalia must vote between the nominees. The appointed nominee then becomes the Prime Minister of Wolfgalia. The Prime Minister serves for four years and may hold up to two terms in office.

The Current Prime Minister of Wolfgalia is Carson Vogreene, elected in the second round of Senate nominations in 2016. He is registered as a member of the Progressive Party. The first Senate Nomination, Theodora Lowell, a registered member of the National Party, was up for re-election from her previous term, but only gained 46% of the popular vote, failing to win the seat.

Judicial Branch

The Supreme Court of Wolfgalia consists of 11 seats. Judges on the supreme court are appointed by the prime minister, and after a hearing from a senate committee made up of 16 senators, must be approved in votes by the Senate and the House of Commons. Both houses must give two-thirds majority votes for the nominee to be passed into the court, ensuring bipartisan justices. Justices serve for life or until they choose to retire from the court, in which case a new justice will be nominated by the prime minister, unless it is within 6 months of the next Prime Ministerial election.

Culture

Arts

While Wolfgalia has produced many notable works and visual artists, including the art of Dario Mariana, a man who spent ten years in an Asylum before they were outlawed in 1988 for being inhumane, most of the art created in Wolfgalia is performance based.

Wolfgalia embraces performance art, especially music and theater. The nations many bands perform in the various concert venues across the nation, with genres ranging from classical to rock to jazz and everything in between. It’s biggest artistic market is theater, with a massive theater district in Triburra'. The most notable Wolfgalian playwright is a man named Torren Thatcher who lived in Wolfgalia before it became a nation. He wrote 31 works in his life, all major successes and still performed in the present day, including his play ''The Bayside'', which is considered the most popular piece of art and literature in Wolfgalian history. His works cover many genres, most notably tragedies and tragic romances.

Wolfgale also commissions many up and coming street artists to create murals throughout the city to celebrate the nation’s culture.

Sports Entertainment

Wolfgalia has a rich history of professional sports in across the nation. The country's biggest sport is Wolfgalian football, played in teams of eleven on a large, rectangular field, with an oval shaped ball. Professional football players make millions annually playing 12 game seasons and playoffs that lead to Championship Day, the league's ultimate game and a national Wolfgalian holiday. The winning team of Championship Day each year holds the Fesco Trophy, named after the founder of the sport.

Also very popular in Wolfgalia are baseball and soccer, sometimes referred to as footy for its use of the foot in contact with the ball. The three sports make up the triumvirate of athletic entertainment, with Football played in the colder seasons, baseball in the warmest season, and soccer in the warming season. One of Wolfgalia's baseball teams is located in Yorke, the capital city of New North Yorkshire.

Clothing and Accessories

Wolfgalian clothing is very representative of the nation's pride in its colors. Most women in the nation wear light sundresses, tank tops, capri pants, and thin flowing skirts in shades of purple and blue, while men wear t-shirts and collared polos with khaki pants and shorts, more often than not having some sort of design on them, such as wolves, dolphins, or birds, and in the same colors. Sandals are generally the shoe of choice in Wolfgalia, with many different kinds of sandals offered in shoe stores all across the nation. This is not exclusive, however, as sneakers and other closed toes shoes are not hard to find either.

As for headwear, Wolfgalia is home to a remarkable amount of fedora, sun hat, and bucket hat wearers. Rompers can also be found worn by citizens of all genders throughout the nation, as it is considered a fantastic choice for the hot weather of the country.

Other Information

International Trade

Wolfgalia relies on international trade for modern technology and fine goods. Strict laws are in place across the nation protecting the environment, making it very difficult for companies to manufacture goods in Wolfgalia. The nations largest imports are cars (overwhelmingly electric) and building materials such as steel, wood, and other metals for building.

Whiskey and Cider are the nation's two largest exports, with large distilleries across the country. Also popular Wolfgalian exports are Apples, Corn, Peaches, and Berries, as Wolfgalia's natural farming techniques are strongly encouraged to help protect the environment, causing plant farming to be extremely popular with citizens in rural areas.

Tourism

Wolfgalia's largest industry by a large margin is tourism, partly due to its beautiful forests, landscapes, and coastline, and partly due to the emphasis placed on tourism in the economy. Many beautiful resorts are built all over the country, many cruise ships commissioned by Wolfgalia sail year round, and amusement parks populate the nation's urban environments. Two of the nation's largest exports, whiskey and cider, also help with tourism, as people come from all over the world to taste Wolfgalia made drinks.

Wolfgalia's largest island territory, Francessia, is also a major tourist spot, being home to many beaches and a rainforest, thanks to it's warm climate from nearby oceanic currents, as are the Wole Ola Islands, a chain of small islands near the continent Kasia.

An estimated 15% of economic output comes from tourism, more than any other industry in Wolfgalia, making it the nation that makes the most money from tourism in Anteria. It is one of the tourism capitals of Anteria, alongside San Calia. Malcolm University, located in Triburra', has one of Anteria's premier hospitality and hotel management schools.

Foreign Relationships

Wolfgalia holds positive relations with several nations across Anteria. She is considered to be on strong terms with Astariax, as the nation was key in the formation of Wolfgalia. Wolfgalia's strongest ally is considered to be New North Yorkshire, the nation's neighbor to the north. Wolfgalia also has positive relations with Astariax, Aziallis, and Shadoveil.

Festivities

Date	Name	Working day
January 1st	New Year's Day	No
March 19th	National Day	No
June 21st	Sun Day	Yes
September 8th	Twins Day	Yes
December 2nd	Election Day	No
First Friday of December	Family Day	No
December 22nd	Championship Day	No