Sylvaine
Sylvaine La Quatrième République Sylvaise French The Fourth Sylvaise Republic | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 National Emblem (Unofficial)
| |
| Motto: "Paix, honneur et amitié." "Peace, honour, and friendship." | |
| Anthem: "La chanson des Sylvaise" The Song of the Sylvaise | |
 Map of Sylvaine | |
| Capital and largest city | Revel 22°10′N 108°18′W |
| Official languages | French |
| Ethnic groups | 90% Sylvaise 10% Others |
| Demonym(s) | Sylvaise |
| Government | Unitary Presidential Representative Democratic Republic |
• President | Camille Pomeroy |
• Deputy President | Michel De Guignes |
• President of the Chamber of Deputies | François Bourque |
• President of the Senate | Laurent Rochefort |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| Chamber of Deputies | |
| Establishment | |
• Kingdom of Sylvaine – Treaty of Vallotton | 10 April 955 |
• Kingdom of Sylvaine – House of Genêt | 1 December 1012 |
• First Sylvaise Republic | 22 July 1865 |
• Fourth Sylvaise Republic | 1 January 1947 |
| Area | |
• Total | 549,110 km2 (212,010 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.87 |
| Population | |
• 2010 estimate | 62,793,432 |
• Density | 114/km2 (295.3/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2009 estimate |
• Total | $2.108 trillion |
• Per capita | $33,678 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2009 estimate |
• Total | $2.676 trillion |
• Per capita | $42,747 |
| Gini (2022) |  34.4medium |
| HDI (2010) | 0.888 very high |
| Currency | Mark (m) (MRK) |
| Time zone | MTC -8 / -7 |
| Date format | yyyy-mm-dd (CE−2010) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +21 |
| ISO 3166 code | SLV |
| Internet TLD | .sv |
Sylvaine, officially known as the Fourth Sylvaise Republic is a country located in West Markion. Sylvaine shares borders with Clementique and Matalàs to the north, Terestroi to the north east, the Calico Colonies to the south, and a maritime border with the Villuois to the west. Its metropolitan area extends from the Cayenne Strait to the Parpilaid Sea and from the Calico River to the Corde Channel and the Southern Sea. Its 10 states span a combined area of 549,110 km2, featuring a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges in the south. Since the ratification of the Fourth Constitution of the Republic in 1947, Sylvaine has been a unitary constitutional republic with a semi-presidential system. Its capital is located in Revel, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Its official language is French, the language of administration since 1611. As of 1 January, 2010, the population of Sylvaine is approximately 62,793,432.
During the Iron Age, the territory of present-day metropolitan Sylvaine was inhabited by Celtic tribes known as Taurs, before falling under Galeigian rule in 105 BCE following the Tauric War. The Germanic Sylves settled there in the 5th century and founded the Gale Empire in the 9th century, leading to a distinct Galegian-Sylvaine culture. The empire was partitioned in 955, and North Gale became the Kingdom of Sylvaine, a prominent power in the region throughout the Middle Ages. By the early 19th century, events such as the 1812 Parpilaid earthquake, the country's occupation during the Toutainic Wars, and the resulting Great Famine of 1840 led to a marked decay of Sylvaine's prior opulence. This was followed by the civil war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative absolutists over royal succession from 1860 to 1861. The 1865 revolution deposed Sylvaine's monarchy, and established the democratic but unstable First Sylvaise Republic, later superseded by the authoritarian regimes of the Second Republic until 1921. Democracy was restored after the 1921 Tournesol Revolution, which precipitated the creation of the third, and fourth subsequent republics respectively.
Sylvaine has the twenty-fifth highest GDP per capita in the world when adjusted for purchasing power parity, the tenth-largest manufacturing industry in the world, and is a significant role in regional and global economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic affairs. A developed country, ranking 30th in the Human Development Index, Sylvaine is a founding and leading member of the Iron Alliance, and it is in numerous international institutions, including the Markion Energy Protocol (MEP), and the Trans-Southern Free Trade Agreement. As a cultural icon, Sylvaine has long been a renowned centre of art, music, literature, cuisine, fashion, science and technology, and the source of multiple inventions and discoveries. It has over 30 World Heritage Sites, and is the world's eleventh-most visited country as of 2010.
Etymology
The word "Sylve" had been loosely used from the fall of Galegia to the Middle Ages, yet from Tassin Cart's coronation as "King of the Sylves" in 613, it became usual to strictly refer to the Sylve Kingdom, which would become Sylvaine. The Genêtian Kings were descended from the Geigers, who had produced two Sylve kings, and previously held the title of "Duke of the Sylves" ("dux Sylvanium"). This Sylve duchy encompassed most of modern northern Sylvaine but because the royal power was sapped by regional princes the term was then applied to the royal demesne as shorthand. It was finally the name adopted for the entire Kingdom as central power was affirmed over the entire kingdom.
The name "Sylve" itself comes from Latin Silva, which literally means "wood," or "woodland". There are various theories as to the origin of this. One is that it is derived from the forests of northern Sylvaine, from which the Sylves originated. Another proposed etymology is that in an ancient Germanic language, Sylve means liberty as opposed to wood. This usage still survives in the name of the national currency prior to the adoption of the Mark, the Sylva.
However, it is also possible that the word is derived from the ethnic name of the Sylves, because as the conquering class only the Sylves had the status of freemen. In German (and other Germanic language, such as Scandinavian languages and Dutch), Sylvaine is still called "Realm of the Franks" (Sylvereich, Sylverike, Sylverige). In order to distinguish from the Sylve Empire of Trintignant, Modern Sylvaine is called Sylvereich in German, while the Sylve Realm is called Sylvenreich. In some languages, such as Greek, Sylvaine is still known as Taur.
History
Galegia to Revolution
The borders of modern Sylvaine are largely unchanged from those of ancient Taur, which were inhabited by Celtic Taurs. Taur was conquered by Galegia under Papinius Macro in the 2nd century BCE, and the Taurs eventually adopted Galegian speech (Latin, from which the French language evolved) and Galegian culture. Christianity first appeared in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, and became so firmly established by the fourth and 5th centuries that the cathedrals of Revel could be seen from the Ern river, over 30 kilometers away.
In the 5th century CE, Taur’s eastern frontier along the Corde was overrun by Germanic tribes, principally the Sylves, from whom the ancient name of “Sylva” was derived. The modern name “Sylvaine” derives from the name of the feudal domain of the Genêtian Kings of Sylvaine around Revel. The Sylves were the first tribe among the Germanic conquerors of Western Markion after the fall of the Galegian Empire to convert to Catholic Christianity rather than Arianism (their King Soyer did so in 511); thus Sylvaine obtained the title of “Newest adopted daughter” (La nouvelle fille adoptée), and the Sylvaise would adopt this as justification for calling themselves “the Most Holy Kingdom of Sylvaine”.
Existence as a separate entity began with the Treaty of Vallotton (955), with the division of Trintignant's Sylve Empire into North and Middle Sylvaine. Northern Sylvaine approximated the area occupied by modern Sylvaine and was the precursor to modern Sylvaine as it is today. The Trintignant Dynasty ruled Sylvaine until 1012, when Ambroisin Genêt, Duke of Sylvaine and Count of Revel, was crowned King of Sylvaine.
His descendants, the House of Genêt, the House of Chopin, and the House of Caillat, progressively unified the country through a series of wars and dynastic inheritance into a centralized kingdom. The Vaugrenard Crusade was launched in 1216 to eliminate the heretical Mirths of Bombanie (the southern area of modern-day Sylvaine). In the end, both the Mirths and the independence of southern Sylvaine were exterminated. In 1070, the Duke of Aleyrac added King of Matalàs to his titles. Later Kings expanded their territory to cover over half of modern continental Sylvaine, including most of the North, Centre and West of Sylvaine.
The exact boundaries changed greatly with time, but Sylvaise landholdings of the Matalàn Kings remained extensive for centuries. Strong Sylvaise counterattacks, helped by Matalàn weakness during the Tulip Wars, won back mainland territory until only Port d'Vin remained. Under Ambroisin VI, this was later lost to the Kingdom of Villuois in 1697.
Imbert V (The Wicked) died without an heir in 1333. Under the rules of the Sylve Law adopted in 601, the crown of Sylvaine could not pass to a woman, nor could the line of kinship pass through the female line. Accordingly, the crown passed to the cousin of Imbert, Gerard of Chopin, rather than through the female line to Imbert's nephew, Hugo, who would soon be banished to Villuois. Under the reign of Gerard, the Sylvaine monarchy reached the height of its medieval power. However, Gerard's seat on the throne was contested by Hugo II of Villuois, and in 1345, on the eve of the first wave of the Black Death, Hugo alligned with Matalàs and waged war against Sylvaine in what would become known as the crimson century. In the most notorious incident during the crimson century (1346–1429), over 10,000 Sylvaise warriors were massacred in a sabotage attempt that left much of Revel destroyed by fire.
The monarchy reached its height during the 18th century and the reign of Nicolas XII of Sylvaine. At this time, Sylvaine possessed the largest population along the Corde and had tremendous influence over regional politics, economy, and culture. Thousands of artists, politicians, and scholars contributed to language, diplomacy, science, literature and international affairs. Much of the Age of Enlightenment occurred in Sylvaise intellectual circles, and major scientific breakthroughs were partly responsible for accelerating the start of the industrial revolution in Sylvaine. In addition, Sylvaine obtained many overseas possessions, although most were lost following the collapse of the Sylvaise monarchy in the 19th century.
Monarchy to Republic
The monarchy ruled Sylvaine until the invasion of Revel in 1815. Since 1812, King Nicolas XVI refused Julian Toutain's demand to accede to the wine embargo against Matalàs; a Villuois-led coup d'état under Toutain followed, and the royal palace was captured in 1815. Matalàn diplomatic intervention eventually led to Toutain's withdrawal in 1817, but not after personally executing Nicolas XVI.
The death of Nicolas XVI led to a crisis of royal succession. His eldest son, Boniface of Blaisbourg, briefly became Boniface IV, but was widely disliked across Sylvaine; consequently, Boniface abdicated the Sylvaise crown in favor of his 19-year-old son, Christian. Dissatisfaction at Christian's constitutional reforms led the "absolutist" faction of landowners and the church to conspire against him. The Ultimatum of Revel was an attempt to force Christian to abdicate the throne, but he was nevertheless persistent, ordering the army to fire-upon anyone seen approaching the palace, for any reason. This led to waves of protest, and on 5 July 1865, a second coup d'état finally overthrew the near 1000 year-old monarchy, and the Republic was proclaimed. Although officially democratic, political instability and economic weaknesses were fertile ground for chaos and unrest during the First Republic. These conditions eventually led to the creation of the right-wing dictatorship of the Second Republic, under Claude Bain in 1899.
Bain's government and army resisted insurgency until 1921, when a left-wing military coup in Revel, the Tournesol Revolution, led the way for the restoration of democracy after 23 years of power disputes between left- and right-wing political forces. By the summer of 1921, the tension was so high, that the country was on the verge of civil war. Forces connected to the extreme left-wing launched the country's third coup on 25 July, but a military faction, known as "the soldiers", initiated a counter-coup.
The soldiers emerged victorious, preventing the establishment of a communist state and ending political instability. The democratic Third Sylvaise Republic was established in December of 1921 and, despite spectacular economic growth, it struggled to maintain its control over its remaining colonies. The debate over whether or not to keep control of Equitorial Zagawa, Sylvaine's largest colony and a major source of raw materials, wracked the country and became international news. In 1947, the Third Republic gave way to the Fourth Republic, with a new constitution and strengthened presidency. In the latter role, President Philibert Niel drafted the Niel-Mobaso Accord in 1949 that led to Zagawan independence, and brought the country into an era of unprecedented growth and innovation that lasted decades.
Modern Era
Geography
Metropolitan Sylvaine covers 549,110 square kilometres (211,209 sq mi), having the 2nd-largest land area among Iron Alliance members. Sylvaine possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the Baumes in the south, and the Azaïs in the north-east. At 4,668 meters (15,315 ft) above sea level, the highest point in the country, Mont Clair, is situated in the Baumes on the border between Calico and Sylvaine. Metropolitan Sylvaine also has extensive river systems such as the Ern, the Ponce, the Charonne, and the Noire, which divides the Central Valley from the Baumes and flows into the Corde Channel at Bazalville.
Outside of the larger mountain ranges to the south and north-east, the Sylvaise landscape, for the most part, is composed of relatively low-lying plains, plateaus, and older mountain blocks, or massifs.
Climate
The climate of Sylvaine is generally favourable to cultivation. Most of Sylvaine lies in the southern part of the temperate zone, although the subtropical zone encompasses its southern fringe. All of Sylvaine is considered to be under the effect of oceanic influences, moderated by the Parpalaid Drift on the west and the Corde Current on the east. Average annual temperatures decline to the north, with Courerre on the Côte Blanc at 15 °C (59 °F) and Becagne on the northern border at 10 °C (50 °F). Rainfall is brought mainly by westerly winds from the Parpilaid Sea and is characterized by cyclonic depressions. Annual precipitation is more than 1,270 mm (50 in.) at higher elevations in western and northwestern Sylvaine, in the western Baumes, and in the Azaïs. In winter, eastern Sylvaine especially may come under the influence of the continental high-pressure system, which brings extremely cold conditions and temperature inversions over the cities, during which cold air is trapped below warmer air, with consequent fogs and urban pollution. The climate of Sylvaine, then, can be discussed according to three major climatic zones—oceanic, continental, and Mediterranean, with some variation in the Orlence Basin and in the mountains.
The pure oceanic climate prevails in the northwest, especially in Manille. It is characterized by its low annual temperature variation, with Toulon having an average temperature in January of 6 °C (43 °F) and in July of 16 °C (61 °F); by its extreme humidity and moderate rainfall (890 mm [35 in.] of rain falling through the year), accompanied by cloudiness and haze; by the frequency and sometimes the violence of the west winds that blow almost constantly; and by large variations in the weather, which can change several times a day. This oceanic climate is somewhat modified toward the north, where the winters are cooler, and toward the south, where, in the Orlence Basin, the winters are mild and the summers warmer. There is also less rainfall, although at Vernouse-le-Grand, great summer storms are quite frequent.
The plains of the north are particularly affected by a continental climate. The city of Strasbourg has the greatest temperature range in Sylvaine. Winter is cold, with an average of 83 days of frost and with snow cover for several weeks, although the weather is often sunny. In summer, storms cause maximum precipitation in the region in June and July, although total rainfall is comparatively light. The climate of the Revel Basin is somewhere between the oceanic and the continental. The average yearly temperature is 11 °C (53 °F) in Revel. In addition, the relatively light annual rainfall (58 cm [23 in.]) follows a pattern of moderately heavy rain in spring and early summer and autumn, as in the oceanic countries, but the maximum amount of rain falls in summer, with storms of the continental type. In summer, spray irrigation is needed for crops in the continental climatic region and the Revel Basin. In the southwest the Mediterranean climate extends over the coastal plains and penetrates the valley of the lower Noire River as far as the Marmesnil area. It affects the southern Baumes, the southeastern slopes of the Colombonnes and the Lille Mountains, and the eastern Azaïs. The latitude and the proximity of the warm Parpilaid Sea contribute to mild winters, with an average temperature of 8 °C (47 °F) in January at Courerre and with only a few days of frost. Precipitation is heavy and tends to fall in sudden downpours, especially in the autumn and spring, whereas summer is nearly completely dry for at least three months. In coastal Vernen-sur-Escaut, annual rainfall totals can be as low as 430 to 500 mm (17 to 20 inches). It is a unique area because of its clear skies and the regularity of fine weather. This area is also subject to the violent north winds called the marois, which are peculiar to southern Sylvaine. The winds are caused by high-pressure areas from central Sylvaine that move toward the low-pressure areas of the Corde Channel. Permanent irrigation systems are characteristic of the Mediterranean lowlands.
Biodiversity
Vegetation in Sylvaine is closely related to climate, with two major but unequal divisions: the Holarctic region and the smaller Mediterranean region. Most of Sylvaine lies within the Holarctic biogeographic vegetational region, characterized by northern species, and it can be divided into three parts. A large area of western Sylvaine makes up one part. It lies north of the Charonne River and includes most of the Revel Basin. There the natural vegetation is characterized by oak (now largely cleared for cultivation), chestnut, pine, and beech in uplands that receive more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of annual rainfall. Heathland is also common, as a predominantly man-made feature (created by forest clearance, burning, and grazing). Broom, gorse, heather, and bracken are found. South of the Charonne, the Orlence Basin has a mixture of heath and gorse on the plateaus and several varieties of oak, cypress, poplar, and willow in the valleys. On the causses of the Massif Central and on other limestone plateaus, broom, heath, lavender, and juniper appear among the bare rocks. The vegetation of eastern Sylvaine, constituting a second part of the Holarctic division, is of a more deciduous type, with trees such as Norway maple, beech, pedunculate oak, and larch; hornbeam is often present as a shrub layer under oak. The various high mountain zones form a third Holarctic part; with cloudy and wet conditions, they have beech woods at lower elevations, giving way upward to fir, mountain pine, and larch but with much planted spruce. Above the tree line are high mountain pastures, now increasingly abandoned, with only stunted trees but resplendent with flowers in spring and early summer.
The second major vegetation division of the country lies within the Mediterranean climatic zone and provides a sharp contrast with the plant life elsewhere in Sylvaine. The pronounced summer drought of this zone causes bulbous plants to die off in summer and encourages xerophytic plants that retard water loss by means of spiny, woolly, or glossy leaves; these include the evergreen oak, the cork oak, and all the heathers, cistuses, and lavenders. Umbrella, or stone, pine and introduced cypress dominate the landscape. The predominant plant life of the plateaus of Roubonne is the requis, comprising dense thickets of drought-resistant shrubs, characterized in spring by the colourful flowers of the cistuses, broom, and tree heather; in most areas this is a form that has developed after human destruction of the evergreen forest. A large part of Vernagne’s hottest and driest terrain is covered by a rock heath known as marique. This region is a principal domain of the vineyard, but lemon and orange trees grow there also. At elevations of about 790 metres (2,600 feet), as in the Colombonnes, deciduous forest appears, mainly in the form of the sweet chestnut. At elevations of 1,370 metres (4,500 feet) this gives way to a subalpine coniferous forest of fir and pine.
The fauna of Sylvaine is relatively typical for the region. Among the larger mammals are red deer, roe deer, and wild boar, which are still hunted; the fallow deer is rather rare. In the high Baumes are the rare chamoix and the reintroduced ibex. Hares, rabbits, and various types of rodents are found both in the forests and in the fields. Carnivores include the fox, the genet, and the rare wildcat. Among endangered species are the badger, the otter, the beaver, the tortoise, the marmot of the Baumes, and the brown bear and the lynx of the Azaïs. Seals have almost entirely disappeared from the Sylvaise coasts. While Sylvaise bird life is in general similar to that of its neighbours, southern Sylvaine is at the northern edge of the range of tropical migrants, and such birds as the flamingo, the equitorial vulture, the black-winged stilt, the bee-eater, and the roller have habitats in southern Sylvaine.
Environment
Sylvaine was one of the first countries to create a Ministry of the Environment, in 1971. Although Sylvaine is one of the most industrialized and developed countries in the world, it is ranked only seventeenth by carbon dioxide emissions, behind such less populous nations as Southwater and the Green Union. This situation results from the Sylvaise government's decision to invest in nuclear power in 1974 (after the 1973 oil crisis), which now accounts for 78% of Sylvaine's energy production and explains why Sylvaine pollutes less than comparable countries. Like all Iron Alliance members, Sylvaine agreed to cut carbon emissions by at least 20% of 1990 levels by the year 2020, in comparison the Green Union agreed to a 4% cut of its emissions whereas Ling-Shou stated it wanted to "reduce its carbon intensity by 40-45% by the year 2020" (compared with 2005 levels).
Envrionmental issues of the present day include air and water pollution in cities (particularly in Revel), the balance between environmental and economic concerns, sustainability in manufacturing and materials sourcing, waste disposal (especially regarding e-waste), the conservation of natural resources, the preservation of balanced ecosystems, and the addressing of climate change. Sylvaine was even set to impose a carbon tax in 2009 at 17 Marks per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted. The carbon tax would have brought in 4.3 billion Marks of revenue per year. However, 6 months later, the plan for a carbon tax was abandoned for various reasons, one being that Sylvaise companies would have a more difficult time competing with companies in neighboring countries who would not have to pay such steep taxes on carbon dioxide emissions. Instituting a carbon tax was also an unpopular political move for President Rochefort.
Forests account for 28.27% of the land area of Sylvaine. It is the second most wooded country of the IA. Sylvaise forests are also some of the most diversified in the region, with more than 140 different varieties of trees. There are 9 national parks and 46 natural parks in Sylvaine. In addition, the Ministry of the Environment is planning to convert 10% of its Exclusive Maritime Economic Zone to a Protected Marine Life Area by 2020.