Acrea

Kingdom of Acrea Königreich Akrien Kongariget Akrien
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: In Treue Stadigt "In Loyalty Steadfast"
Capital	Trier
Official languages	Acrean Nordic German
Recognised regional languages	Bayerisch Venetian Moravian
Ethnic groups (2019)	German (46%) Dane (42%) Ryukan (3%) Moravian (2%) Other (7%)
Demonym(s)	Acrean
Government	Federal Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Friedrich Leopold III
• Chancellor	Malin Rasmussen
• Prime Minister	Peter Wilhelm Matthes
Legislature	Reichstag
• Upper house	Reichshof
• Lower house	Landtag
Population
• 2019 census	196,953,803
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	10,162,823,620,568₤ ($12,018,121,059,060)
• Per capita	51,600₤ ($61,020)
Gini	31.6 medium
HDI	.924 very high
Currency	Mark (₤) (ARM)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy CE
Driving side	right
Calling code	+62
Internet TLD	.ar

Acrea (German and Nordic: Akrien), officially the Kingdom of Acrea (German: Königreich Akrien, Nordic: Kongariget Akrien), is a country located Eracura in Tyran. It is a federal constitutional monarchy. It is bordered by land to the west by Svinia, to the north by Alemarr, and to the east by Delkora.

Owing to its size, Acrea has a diverse landscape, with lush forests, rolling light hills, and snowy mountains. Its total territory spans 3.36 million square kilometres, the 3rd largest nation in Tyran by land area, with a population of 196.9 million making it the largest nation in Tyran by population. Its capital is Trier, located at the foot of the Aarau mountain range in the northeast of the country. The city is also Acrea's largest city and one of its major financial capitals. Other major cities include Stavanger, Kongsvingen, Baden, Schönbrunn, Gothenburg, and Norsjö. The English name Acrea comes from the ancient city of Acre, located in the Altstad district of modern-day Trier where many ancient ruins and sites can be found as protected landmarks.

Today, Acrea is a regional leader and a highly developed country. It is the region's largest economy, which is largely post-industrial with services accounting for the largest percentage of GDP, although it has a large manufacturing sector that focuses on the manufacture of advanced goods and technology. It is a regional leader in several industries, particularly in automotives, technology, and energy. The Acrean government's extensive investment in renewable energy technologies has put Acrean energy firms at the forefront of this industry as pioneers in the production and use of renewable energy, shown with 40% of the nation's energy needs met via renewable energy sources in 2017. Oil, natural gas, and energy also account for a large volume of Acrea's exports. The focus on utilising its offshore reserves for export purposes has inversely led to high domestic oil prices since the 1970s compared to other petro-states. Socially, Acrea maintains a robust national universal healthcare system, and invests substantially into social welfare. Education is highly valued; in addition to maintaining universal education, the Acrean government strictly maintains low-cost tuition for secondary and postgraduate education.

History

Antiquity

The term 'Acrean' comes from the collection of Germanic tribes that inhabited the territory that is modern day Acrea. According to the Skalla Sagas, the city of Acre was founded along the river Varde sometime around 700 BCE, although archaeological evidence shows that the city itself actually existed significantly earlier. However this date given in the Sagas is relatively consistent with other tradition which states that the Kingdom of Acre was founded sometime between 700 BCE to 650 BCE. Not much is known about the Kingdom, as most information regarding it is gleaned either from writings of authors during the later Acrean Empire and collections of oral traditions that were recorded. The Kingdom gradually gained more territory as it was joined by neighbouring villages and small kingdoms.

The creation of the Acrean Empire came after the annexation of the city of Thun. Established under a mixed Gothic-Dane emperor, the Empire went on to conquer lands across the Eracuran continent, including the modern-day countries of Shalum and Svinia. Beginning in the late 300s, internal conflicts and divisions began to arise among various factions within Acrea. The Empire achieved stability through decentralised rule; it managed its vast territory through the appointment of Statthaltern, who were the locally-appointed governors of provinces throughout imperial territories. Several provinces would be combined into a region, frequently named for its most predominant local group, who would be overseen by an Acrean-born regnant. Though the Empire maintained a standing army, security would be handled by local guard troops, similarly raised and paid for by the province. Taxation was oft-decided by a province's Statthalter, which rates related to the wealth of a given province. Though there were several attempts by Emperors to enforce a more rigid, centralised scheme to tax imperial territories, they were nearly always prevented by the senate. Perhaps the longest-lasting and most prominent feature of the Empire, which would go on to be its most important legacy, was the vast network of trade and infrastructure that flourished within imperial borders. Large construction projects saw roads be built to connect far-flung corners of lands under Acrean control, and along with it the ability for merchants to move large stocks with no concern for extra taxes or legal complications.

Reunification

The Kingdom of Acrea was created following the Diet of Gothenburg in 1058 CE, with Alaric I, the King of Trier, crowned as King, covering a significant amount of the territory as the Acrean Empire that had come before it.

Geography

Acrea is located in central and eastern Eracura, bordering Svinia to the east, Alemarr to the north, and Sevase to the south. It covers an area of 3.362.625 square kilometres, making it the largest nation in Eracura and second largest in Tyran overall. It has a wide range of elevation, spanning from the Aarau-Voers mountain range in the north, where elevation reaches as high as 2.900 metres, to the southern forested lowlands.

Government

Military

Main article: Acrean Armed Forces

The Acrean Armed Forces are comprised of the Acrean Army, Acrean Air Force, and the Acrean Navy. The King of Acrea is nominally commander-in-chief, however in practice the duties of the position are performed by the Chancellor. The Acrean Armed Forces are among the largest military orginisations in Tyran.

Acrea has historically always been a military power. Despite not being the largest, it is supported a large and diverse domestic defence industry driven by constant competition to both itself and allies by other Eracuran powers. In .

Economy

Energy

The Acrean government, since 2000, has invested heavily in nationalising renewable energy methods, with the eventual goal of making at least 80% of the nation's needs met through the use of renewable energy sources by 2030. Approximately 40% of the nation's energy requirements were met using renewable energy in 2017, of which the most efficient have been wind farms in the North Sea. The Acrean Government has also done extensive work to begin utilising ever greater amounts of hydroenergy, employing extensive development programmes in order to implement newer and more efficient technology.

Acrea is a strong oil producing economy. Expansive offshore drilling in the sea and in the arctic has yielded large reserves not found in continental Acrea. One of the chief goals of the Acrean Navy is the protection of Acrean economic assets at sea. However, the majority of the oil is exported which results in comparatively high domestic gas prices.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Acrea is composed of two main ethnic groups: Germans and Danes. They are largely delineated by Acrea's four historical regions of Daneland, Gothaland, Bayer, and Venetia. In practice, Acrean anthropologists consider both groups to be of the same ethnic group, and instead divide the two as being incredibly similar but not-identical cultures, with both belonging to a distinct Acrean ethnic group. Even in this definition, there is some controversy as to the distinction of Acreans as an ethnic group, particularly in respect to other Nordic Eracuran states.

Settlement of much of the continent by Acreans has led to several states in Eracura tracing their lineage back to Acrean settlement of their current territory. This is especially prevalent in the cases of Nordkrusen, Azurlavaj, and Delkora, both of whom attribute settlement by Dane settlers as significant parts of their national formation. The prevalence of what could be considered Acrean ethnic groups in states other than Acrea has challenged the current mainstream definition of Acrean ethnicity, especially as centuries of efforts sponsored by Acrean rulers has led to the creation of a very strong Acrean national identity which would oppose the inclusion of foreign nordic groups into the Acrean identity- there are, however, notable exceptions to this rule. The children or descendants of foreign-origin families are greatly included in the Acrean national identity, with the most notable being the Ryukan people. The Ryukans are one of the largest minority groups in Acrea comprising about 3% of the population. The Ryukans originated from Ryuku, in Acrean controlled Siduri situated north of Quenmin and east of Chihon.

Moravians, a slavic group originating from eastern Svinia, are the second largest minority in Acrea. Shalumite and Quenminese constitute the largest immigrant groups within Acrea. Following the economic devastation of Shalum during the Eracuran Great War, large numbers of refugees and job-seekers migrated to Acrea in search of work and economic well-being. Significant numbers of Shalumite women also immigrated to Acrea after marrying Acrean soldiers who had fought in and occupied Shalum after the war. Extramarital relations between Acrean soldiers and Shalumite women proved substantial enough that the Acrean government instituted a birthright policy in 1965 which allowed migration of children born as a result of these affairs to migrate to Acrea, and which still exists currently. Quenminese immigration has always continued at a high rate, but was especially significant in the late 19th and early 20th century where many migrated to Acrea in search of better economic opportunity.

Language

Owing to its unique national makeup, Acrea has one of the highest rates of multilingualism in Tyran. In total, the Acrean government identifies three languages and 13 major dialects throughout Acrea.

The Acrean government recognises three official languages: Acrean, German, and Nordic. Nordic is further distinguished into three major dialects which are considered their own languages: Northern Dane (Nordisk), Western Dane (Västranorsk), and Eastern Nordic (Østnorsk). The Acrean government is required to communicate written documents in German and Nordic. The regional distinctiveness of the three Nordic languages can be seen in the Nordic-speaking countries that were formerly a part of Acrea; Nordkrusen speaks a variety of Western Nordic, while Azurlavaj speaks a dialect of Northern Nordic where its settlers originated from, and Delkora most notably speaks its own dialect that is incredibly similar to Eastern Nordic.

This is supported by the incredibly high rate of multilingualism among the Acrean population. A 2018 survey showed that about 70% of Acreans used more than one language on a weekly basis, 82% on a monthly basis, and nearly 99% responding that they used more than one language to communicate extensively at least once a year. Beyond being a practical necessity of daily life in Acrea, multilingualism is also legally mandated. Language education is compulsory for all Acrean pupils beginning in kindergarten, and often by the secondary school level full classes are taught in the non-primary language of the region. In addition to extensive linguistic education, Acreans are also heavily exposed to all Acrean languages in their daily life through media, advertisements, and so forth.

The Acrean government also recognises Acrean, a mixed language commonly referred to simply as Acrean (Akriansk), as an official language. It is incredibly common throughout Acrea due to high rates of bilingualism among the population. Though recognised as an official language, and though its use can be found in many places within Acrean institutions and government, only German and Nordic tend to be used for official communications. This is due to the variations in Acrean in different areas, where slight variations can be found depending on the dominant dialects in a given region.