Svaldheim
Republic of Svaldheim Republiken Sväljdheim | |
---|---|
Location of Svaldheim (dark green) in the Hallanic Commonwealth (green) | |
Capital and largest city | Vitstad |
Official languages | Svaldish |
Recognised regional languages | |
Religion | Dísitrú |
Demonym(s) | Svaldish |
Government | Federal parliamentary republic |
Emil Lundell | |
Klara Malström | |
Jan Aalberg | |
Legislature | Högting |
Establishment | |
c. 780s | |
3 July 1011 | |
• Union of the Crowns under Gustav I & III | 11 May 1655 |
4 September 1812 | |
16 June 1916 | |
• Republic established | 2 August 1916 |
20 June 1961 | |
Area | |
• Total | 420,236 km2 (162,254 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 7.6 |
Population | |
• 2019 estimate | 12,300,000 |
• 2018 census | 11,980,123 |
• Density | 29/km2 (75.1/sq mi) |
GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | $453.19 billion |
• Per capita | $37,829 |
Gini | 29.4 low |
HDI (2018) | 0.941 very high |
Currency | Svaldish gulden (SVK) |
Calling code | +55 |
Internet TLD | .sv |
Svaldheim (Svaldish: Sväljdheim), officially the Republic of Svaldheim (Svaldish: Republiken Sväljdheim), is a sovereign state in Hallania, comprising the northern half of the mainland and a number of small islands. It is surrounded by the Loekic Ocean, sharing its sole land border with Tuskval to the south. The 2018 census recorded a population of 11.9 million.
According to Svaldish oral tradition, Svaldheim was founded in 361, when the demi-god and culture hero Sönnungr married the Jötunn princess Dröfn and was crowned King of the Svalds, before ascending to Valhöll and achieving full godhood upon his death. His successors successfully integrated the Svedales and Alvers, before establishing the feudal Kingdom of Alversvald in 780, which by 1011 had been superceded by the more powerful and successful Kingdom of Svaldheim.
Following successive conflicts with the rivalling Kingdom of Tuskval, the two crowns were united in 1655, when Gustav III became king of both nations. His successors would face opposition from Svaldish nobles as they attempted to centralise power in Rhinmond, though ultimately the monarchs would prevail and an absolute monarchy would emerge. Following the 1798 inheritance of Crethia, the crown's power stretched across the continent, and in 1812 the kingdoms would be merged into the Kingdom of Hallania. Under Imperial Hallania, Svaldheim would emerge as one of the leading locales of the industrial revolution, with Vitstad emerging as a key shipbuilding and manufacturing hub and the coal belt powering the nation.
In the aftermath of Hallania's defeat in the Continental War, Svaldish separatists would emerge as a prominent movement, with the Hallanic Wars seeing the kingdom splinter, with Svaldheim achieving independence. The period also saw conflict within the country; between reds, greens and whites. Svaldheim would emerge ultimately as a republic, and following the brief Loose Ends War with Tuskval, peace would settle on the continent. Svaldheim would help to create the Hallanic Commonwealth and HALSAT in the 1960s, and begin to pursue a form of pan-Hallanism that opposed Tuskish hegemony.
Svaldheim is a federal parliamentary republic. The current President is Emil Lundell, while Klara Malström serves as the current Chancellor. The Svaldish economy is considered the primary example of longship democracy. Svaldheim has a nominal GDP per capita of $37,829. The capital and largest city is Vitstad, a major urban area with a population of just over a million. Svaldheim is a leading member of the Hallanic Commonwealth, and is also a member of the Assembly of Nations.
Etymology
The Irtish exonym "Svaldheim" is a direct translation of the Svaldish endonym "Sväljdheim", which itself is derived from the Old Hallic "svälja" and "heimr", meaning the "Home of the Swallows". "Swallow" is believed to refer the spirit animal of an Alver tribe, the name given by one of the Old Hallic tribes migrating northwards. The first recorded use of Sväljaheimr is dated to the 450s, found in a passage of the Kungliglinje, while the first recorded use of the more modern Sväljdheim is dated to 1756, found in a royal decree from Viktoria I.