Sechia

Sechia Iparratea (Lemovician) Przejście (Miersan)
City
Motto(s):  Pokój, dobrobyt i braterstwo (Miersan) Peace, prosperity, and brotherhood
Country	Lemovicia
Entity	Miersan Entity
Province	Równiny
Founded	TBD
Government
• Mayor	Marcin Salkowski
Population  (2017)
• City	297,137
• Rank	1st in Lemovicia
• Urban	297,137
• Metro	362,356
Time zone	TBD
• Summer (DST)	not observed

Sechia (Lemovician: Іпаратея, Iparratea, Miersan: Przejście) is a city situated in northern Lemovicia on the Andia River, near the border with West Miersa. With a population of 297,137, it is the largest city in both the country of Lemovicia, the Miersan Entity, and the province of Równiny, of which it is the provincial capital.

Etymology

The name Sechia is a Solarization of the Miersan Przejście, meaning gateway, owing to it being a traditional gateway between Miersa and Lemovicia.

The Lemovician name derives from the Lemovician phrase iparraldeko atea, or the northern gate, referring to the same thing as the Miersan Przejście.

History

Prehistory

Site of a settlement near present-day Sechia, 2016

Archaeological evidence suggests that the site of present-day Sechia was first inhabited by modern-day humans between 8,000 BCE and 6,000 BCE along the banks of the Andia River.

From the earliest settlement of the area, it became a major trading centre between the proto-Marolevs residing in present-day Miersa, and the proto-Lemovicians living in present-day Lemovicia, with evidence of goods that are not native to the region where Sechia is. This is believed to be the case due to its position on the Andia River, which makes it easier for trade between present-day Miersa and present-day Lemovicia to take place.

By around 5,000 BCE, a permanent settlement was established on the site of the Kopiec Hill in present-day Sechia, and although there are no written records, archaeologists suggest that Sechia maintained a position as a way-stop in the north-south Euclean trade route, while its location ensured relative protection compared to a site directly on the riverbank.

Solarian Empire

(TBC)

Geography

View of the Zamek Pański from Sechia, 2017

The city of Sechia is situated on the banks of the Andia River on the lowlands of Lemovicia, right on the border with West Miersa. However, due to the country's geographic position, Sechia's average elevation is 296 metres above sea level, with the highest point, the Zamek Pański, being at 409 metres above sea level.

In general, however, Sechia is hilly, with prominent hills including the 409 metre high Zamek Pański and the 315 metre high Kopiec Hill, which can be seen throughout much of the city of Sechia.

Climatically, Sechia experiences a humid continental climate, with average temperatures in January ranging from a low of −7.7 °C to a high of -2.6 °C, while average temperatures in July, the warmest month, range from a low of 13.6 °C to a high of 23.5 °C. It has the highest recorded temperature set in Lemovicia, at 40.3 °C on 13 August, 2019, while the lowest recorded temperature in Sechia was −38.9 °C on 2 February, 1957.

Government

Town Hall in Sechia, 2014

The local government of Sechia is a mayor–council government, with a mayor (Lemovician: алкатеяк, alkateak, Miersan: burmistrz) elected every four years from all citizens residing in the city, currently held by Marcin Salkowski, who served in office since 2012.

The mayor presides over the city council (Lemovician: удалецеа, udaletxea, Miersan: rada miejska), which comprises of sixteen members, each elected from sixteen wards at the same time as the mayor of Sechia. Together, the mayor and the city council meet at the Town Hall.

On the entity level, Sechia is represented in the Miersan Assembly by (TBC).

Finally, on the national level, Sechia is represented in the National Assembly by two constituencies, divided on the banks of the Andia River, with each constituency being a multi-member constituency comprised of five Members of the National Assembly.

Demographics

As of the 2017 census, Sechia has 297,137 people in its urban borders, and 362,356 people in its metropolitan area, making it the largest city and metropolitan area in both the Równiny Province, the Miersan Entity, and the country of Lemovicia.

Ethnically, Sechia is the most diverse city in the country, with around 55% of the population, or 164,807 people being ethnic Miersans, around 34% of the population, or 101,027 people, being ethnic Lemovician. Finally, 31,303 people in Sechia, or around 11% of the city's population belong to other ethnic groups, predominantly Narodyns, Savaders, and Slirnians, as well as more recent immigrants from across the world.

Linguistically, around 70% of the city's population, or 208,002 people, speak Miersan as their first language, around 22% of the population, or 64,089 people speak Lemovician as their first language, and 25,046 people, or around eight percent of the population, speak other languages as their first language. The city has some of the highest rates of bilingualism in both official languages, with around 97% of the city's population, or 288,223 people reporting that they are fluent in both Miersan and Lemovician, with only 511 reporting not to be fluent in either official language.

Religiously, Sechia is predominantly Epesimialist, with 187,196 people, or 63% of the city's population adhering to it. This is followed by the Solarian Catholic Church, which as of the 2017 census has 56,553 people, or just under a fifth of the city's population. Finally, 53,388 people, or about 17.9% of the city's population follow other religions, or are irreligious people.