The Imperial State of Lettonia

The Imperial State of Lettonia Civitas Imperialis Lettonia
Motto: "Verum Diis, verum majestati, verum libertati" (Lettonian Latin) "True to the Gods, True to Majesty, True to Liberty,"
Anthem: Quod Lux Lettoniae "The Light of Lettonia" March: Ave Legionis "Hail to Legion"
Capital and largest city	Vindelicorum
Official languages	Lettonian Latin
Recognised national languages	Lettonian Latin Russian, English
Ethnic groups (2022)	96.3% Lettonian 2.1% Russian 2.6% Other (Including Natives and Jews)
Religion (2022)	93.2% Soacism 4.3% Judaism 3.5% Other
Demonym(s)	Lettonian
Government	Federal Semi-Presidential
• Imperator/Imperatoria	Vesuvia Sabiniana Caesar
• Dictator Perpetuo	Augustus Magnus Maximus
• Dictator Temporalis	Valens Sedonus
Legislature	Congressus Imperialis
Settler Conquest  Conquest of the Promised Land
• Arrival in Dunia	17 May, 1488
• Unification	22 November, 1522
• Imperial Edict	19 August, 1540
• 'Tsarist Ascension'	1 January, 1724
• Conquest of Modern Borders	12 September, 1879
• Macedonian War	1 June, 1970-2 February 1982
• Caesar's Civil War	5 March 1982-16 April 1984
• Imperialis Restitutio	7 February 1985
• Constitution	1 January, 2012
Area
• Total	4,477,500 km2 (1,728,800 sq mi)
• Water (%)	8.71
Population
• 2022 census	166,323,400
• Density	37.14/km2 (96.2/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$10.02 Trillion
• Per capita	$60,132
Gini (2022)	26.6 low
HDI (2022)	0.942 very high
Currency	Lettonian Pia (₱) (LP)
Time zone	UTC+7, +8. +9, +10
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Date format	mm.dd.yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+51
ISO 3166 code	ISL
Internet TLD	.isl

The Imperial State of Lettonia, or Imperialis Civitas Lettonia, better known as Lettonia, is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southern Dunia. The nation spans 44,77,500 square kilometers which beyond the subtropical coastline is smothered with varying mountainous landscape, dense heavy forests, large lakes and expansive desert. It consists of 30 imperial provinces. The Imperial State of Lettonia shares land borders with the North Celtic Regions (NCR), Arch Kingdom of Macedonia as well as maritime borders with the various Denolian States, Thalasseon and the Federal Republic of Verdelia. 166,323,400 people call themselves Lettonian, with roughly 160 million of those being native speakers of the lingua franca called Lettonian Latin, which is an offshoot of the wider Latin language family, which included Verdeuan, Eluthanian and others. The nation is governed from Capitoline Hill in the National District, a sprawling megacity primarily devoted to national government in the capital, and by far largest city, of Vindelicorum which overlooks the Orontes River and Pontus (Gulf) Euxinus.

Around 30,000 years ago was when the first Proto-native people most likely settled along the southern coast of modern day Lettonia, however they have no connection to the modern day Lettonian people. These groups would develop no complex writing or record system, and given later attempts to remove all mention of their history, this was all the easier. As well as this date could be as early 50,000 kya or as late as 15,000 kya. As few as 80 or as many as 150 different tribes, which often operated in small, clustered populations, could have emerged and established themselves throughout the first 25,000 years of South Dunian human history. Since ancient tribes in Lettonia never had a writing system, most historical knowledge before the 15th century is based on minimal archaeological data discovered in small tribes cities or towns. Tribes in prehistoric Lettonia were hunter gatherers due to the mountainous and infertile nature of Dunian geography (with the exception being the fertile coastal plains), which also offered plenty of resources. In the late 1400s, the Auximian people of the Auximite Empire of Vetem boarded their great fleet to escape Eluthanian oppression and sailed west, guided by Neptune. They brought with them technology such as muskets, cannons, iron armor, medicine, vast libraries, horses, and other animals including the White Horned Owl, which was a holy animal in their Soacist religion. Initially until the 1530s, the Auximians, taking on the name 'Lettonian' lived in relative harmony with the tribes of the Pontus Euxinus area. However, in 1533, an alliance of thirty tribes marched on the Lettonian capital of, with the aim of crushing the 'invaders' and driving them out of Dunia. This alliance included many former Lettonian allies. The betrayed and furious Latins gathered 18,000 troops to greet them, where in the Battle of Rhodus they faced off against anywhere 36-54,000 native troops. Outnumbered 2 or 3 to 1, the Lettonians shocked the coalition. With their superior technology, vastly superior tactics and better officers, the Lettonians obliterated the native army, killing 65% of it, capturing 30% more (most would either be enslaved or brutally tortured and murdered later on), with only 5% escaping. The Lettonians lost anywhere from 10-15% of their troops in the battle. Marching forward, the Latins between 1533 and 1539 would utterly destroy and wipe out all thirty tribes from the face of the planet, and annexed all their territories. Standing atop these victories, in 1540, King Valens the Great was crowned Imperator, or Emperor of the Empire of Lettonia. From this point onwards, the Lettonians never trusted the natives, and at any chance obtained, would wipe them out completely. The only tribes spared were those who immediately surrendered and were assimilated into the Empire's majority.

This has been characterized by modern (read: Non-Lettonian) historians as the beginning of the Dunian Genocide, which wouldn't end until 1879 (~346 years), when Lettonian forces completed the 131 conquest of Gaul and systematically murdered almost the entire population. The number of natives slaughtered and killed during the Lettonian conquests is considered so astronomical and mind-boggling that most contemporary historians cannot place down a definitive number. Though current estimates lie anywhere from 14 to 19 million, or anywhere from 95-98% of the native population. Lettonian institutionalized ethnic cleansing did not just occur in Dunia however. In the colony of Tennemagma (Volcanic Land) the native population of around 2 million was almost completely exterminated. During the 27 years of Lettonian rule in Obets, which has been described as "characterizing the most inhumane conditions in the world at the time,", an unknown were killed before the Lettonians were driven out by armed revolutionaries.

Most of Lettonian history is also characterized by its rivalry with the large seafaring empire of Orvos, whos inhabitants were often considered savage and barbarian in nature. Throughout the course of the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, and even up to the 1900s, the two countries fought no less than nineteen times. In these conflicts, Lettonia definitively won 9, Orvos 8, and 2 further wars resulted in a stalemate. This rivalry continues into the modern era. The Lettonians also had rivalries with the Celts and Vikings from the 1500s to the 1700s, before eventually becoming allies in the 1780s, an alliance which has expanded to Verdeu as well, and is characterized as the nations being overtly friendly towards one another. In fact, the current Imperatoria, Vesuvia Sabiniana and the Celtic Empress, Gyda II, consider themselves very close friends.

However, for most of its history, Lettonia was a despotic and totalitarian state, with its emperors holding absolute unrivaled power. This was further cemented in the 1720s during the First Russo-Lettonian War which essentially saw the Empire transition into a Tsarist autocracy. This type of authoritarianism took until 1841 to formally abolish slavery, though segregation against targeted groups did not end until 1988. To preserve this, the country remained neutral during the First and Second Global Wars, and remained opportunistic and militaristic. It briefly fought the Second Russo-Lettonian War in the 1920s, which it won. The region remained quiet until 1970 when Lettonian forces invaded Macedonia, which swiftly unraveled into the bloodiest war in world history, with the Lettonians occupying the Macedonian mainland for many years while under fire from their Russian and Orvosian allies. Under the ingenious commander Legate Varus Caesar (1951-2007) they held on for even longer and struck back against Allied forces with unrelenting fervor. Eventually, Lettonian forces were forced to retreat behind the Tiber River, where the war entered a stalemate period from 1979 to 1982, when the Russians engaged in three tactical nuclear strikes, forcing Legate Caesar to open negotiations when the Emperor and the government insisted on carrying on the war. Establishing an armistice which exists to this day, Caesar turned his army around, now more loyal to him then to Mediolanum (the capital city) and he marched upon it. The Emperor attempted to surrender, but the Foederatii majority had him and his whole family killed in response. This sparked a civil war, which raged from 1982 to 1984, when Caesar finally secured a military victory. He would be crowned Emperor in 1985.

The Caesarian Era would see vast democratization and liberalization while balancing out the strictly conservative nature of Soacism, which continued following Varus' death in 2007 under Vesuvia Sabiniana, who was 18 when taking the throne. With assistance from Russia, by the modern day Lettonia is one of the most democratic nations in the world, and its people are staunchly defensive about it. The country possesses one of the world's largest and most advanced standing armies, at 1 million men and 3.4 million reservists. Given the militaristic culture and high levels of nationalism, military life is considered one of the finest careers one can choose, especially when women were allowed to volunteer starting in 1991. Despite attempting to open itself up to new social cultures, gay rights, transgender rights and in that nature are very contentious and touchy subjects due to being strictly outlawed in the Soacist Liber Sanctus as some of the highest offenses one can commit against the Gods.

The Imperial State of Lettonia is a federal constitutional monarchy with seven branches of government and a unicameral legislature. The nation is a leading figure in science, especially in physics and space exploration, along with breakthroughs in technological advancement and an ever increasing personal technology industry. They rank high in many indexes, especially extremely high levels of democracy and technological development. Education, socioeconomic equality, universal healthcare, and overall standard of living are also Lettonia's outstanding categories. The nation has very low levels of gun violence and perceived corruption. The Imperial State is a leading competitor in petroleum exports, the arms industry, and especially the technological industry where they compete with Orvos.

Geography

The Imperial State of Lettonia has a diverse climate and geography due to its large territory size, stretching from Macedon in the east to the NCR in the west.

Climate

Typically existing at very low latitudes, most of the country resides in what is typically ascribed as 'temperate' climatological zone. A small portion of what is known as 'Batavia' is in the subtropics, and due to this, subtropical cyclones can often be seen striking the northern coastline of Caledonia and Batavia. Most of the country being temperate means that the summer months (October-March/April) are fairly mild, with temperatures ranging from 60-70 degrees. The winter months (April/March-September) are typically characterized as cold to mild, with an average temperature from 30 degrees to 45-50 degrees.

The southern portions of the country lie within the arctic zone in which temperatures very rarely rise above 30 degrees, and during the winter months the vital Praestrian Straits are frozen over. During these months, Lettonian shipping for both imports and exports is limited to ports on either side of the country.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Starting in 1989, conserving the natural beauty of the country became a major priority for the new regime and the National Parks Service was established. Keeping these regions well maintained, gorgeous and unique for all visitors both domestic and abroad.

The country is home to a large variation of wildlife and fauna. Given one more that most of the country is in the temperate climate, many times people will see. On the coastline, shorebirds, rabbits, various snakes and insects are common sights. In the heavily forested regions of Gaul and Batavia, bats, raccoons, deer, moose and black bears are commonly spotted, as well as owls, which are one of the country's two national birds, the other is the Rubiconian Quail. On the open northern, eastern and southern plains, birds are extremely common, ranging from sparrows, meadowlarks and other songbirds are seen. In some areas, coyotes, badgers, bison and elk are seen, though elk can also frequent forested areas as well. Moving into the main mountainous/hilly region of the country, the Alps, travelers are advised to be cautious as they can encounter grizzly and brown bears, foxes, pika, mountain goats, cougars, bobcats, bald eagles and hawks. In the extreme far south (the areas previously identified as Befasian in nature, tundra, or polar) life can seem difficult to find given the harsh conditions. Travelers can find arctic foxes, seals of varying types (including the fearsome elephant seal), walrus, and the polar bear (though as global temperatures rise these have been seen less and less). In the deserts of the west, life is very hard to spot, but can be found with rattlesnakes and other types of deadly snakes, reptiles, and even the camel, which was utilized in the past as shock cavalry by the military.

The oceans surrounding Lettonia are littered with unique life, but the most unique are varying sharks, whales, and the 'Titanic Squid', which hovers on the southern coast and regions near Befasia. This behomoth of calamari is reported by captured carcasses to grow anywhere from 52-65 feet long, and weigh well over 2000 lbs. This ginormous creature is rumored to have spawned the old seafaring myth of the Kraken.

Government and Politics

Counties

See also: List of Counties in the Obets United Republic