Elatana
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Kingdom of Elatana Erenís Elatana (Tavari) | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Location of Elatana (dark green) off the coast of the continent of Arcturia (grey) | |
| Capital and largest city | Arktorís |
| Official languages | Tavari Alkari |
| Ethnic groups (2023) | Tavari Orc 69% Alkari Elf 20% Human 8% All Others 3% |
| Demonym(s) | Elatanan, Elatanašta |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Queen | Elarai |
• Prime Minister | Tevri Kantõši Nolandar |
| Legislature | Diet |
| Establishment | |
• Initial settlement | 1699 CE |
| Area | |
• Total | 61,579 km2 (23,776 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 8,012,847 |
| Currency | Tavari Našdat (ŋ) (TAN) |
| Time zone | Universal Time at Christie (UTC +0) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +423 |
| Internet TLD | .el |
The Kingdom of Elatana is a country in Arcturia, located south of Balistria and Alksearia, that gained independence from Tavaris in 2022. The island was nominally claimed by Balistria for some centuries before Tavaris and Alksearia jointly began to settle the island in 1699 CE. A brief military conflict between the Alkari-Tavari coalition and the Balistrians threatened the colony during its early days, but Balistrian defeat led to the solidification of Tavari control over the island. For decades, Tavaris used Elatana as a penal colony, with prisoners routinely sentenced to "hard labour" shipped to Elatana to assist in the building of the colony. The last Tavari convict sentenced to labour on Elatana was sentenced in 1858. Formed as part of the Ranat Accords, Elatana is a member of the Tavari Union, and is also a member of the International Forum.
Title II of the Ranat Accords includes the text of the Provisional Constitution of the Kingdom of Elatana, which will remain in effect until a permanent constitution is ratified by the country's Diet and in a referendum of the voters. The provisional constitution establishes a system almost identical to that of Tavaris itself, though the Diet is elected by geographical constituencies rather than clan-based hereditary ones as in Tavaris. Current Prime Minister Tevri Kantõši Nolandar has stated that the permanent constitution "is likely to depart, perhaps significantly, from prior Tavari law, but will involve a long process of public consultation in order to ensure we do it right, not just do it quickly." Elatana currently has no military as the Ranat Accords declare its defense the responsibility of the Royal Tavari Armed Forces, but Prime Minister Kantõši Nolandar has indicated his government is reconsidering this stance and may establish an independent Elatanan military.
In an arrangement largely identical to the one that existed prior to independence, Elatana has an autonomous zone on the northern coast primarily populated by Alkari elves. The North Elatana Autonomous Zone independently operates public schools and public hospitals, operates its own police force and other emergency responders, governs all public land within the zone, and regulates businesses, construction, and infrastructure. The Zone elects a legislature, the North Elatana Assembly, and a chief executive, the Resident Administrator. Unlike the provincial governments elsewhere in Elatana it has the authority to set an independent VAT and has a limited capacity to conduct some foreign relations specifically and only with Alksearia.
While a slight majority of the ethnic Tavari on the island are Akronists, a significant portion of them are followers of the Tavat Avati, and the country has more Tavat Avati shrines than anywhere else outside Tavaris and Acronis. Nearly all residents of North Elatana belong to the Church of Xaethos. Elatana has served for centuries as a base of operations for Akronist attempts to spread their religion into Arcturia, the most notable example being Ilarís in the Union of Free Cities.
Economy
The first industry for which Elatana was known was lumber, primarily because the Tavari set about deforesting vast stretches of the island on their arrival. Early in Elatana's history it became a center for shipbuilding due in large part to this lumber; as shipbuilding transitioned to other materials, however, shipbuilding continued because the island also has significant deposits of iron and manganese and as a result was home to major steel production facilities. Lumber is no longer a major export, but shipbuilding, steel, and manganese exports remain major portions of the economy today. Elatana's steel and shipbuilding industries attracted a broader defence industry to the island, especially after Tavaris joined the Union of Commonwealth Alliances in the 1980s and began to focus on building up military capacity in the region of the Concordian Ocean after years of focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Elatana has much less agriculture than other areas of the Tavari Union and is a net importer of food, especially beef, pork, and wheat. It has a much broader seafood sector, and like other parts of the Tavari Union has an active whaling industry. One of Elatana's most famous companies is the beverage producer Ella, which produces the most popular soft drinks in the Tavari Union and competes globally in the so-called Beverage Wars. Elatana has a much higher proportion of manufacturing than Tavaris; because it was historically very costly to ship heavy industrial products and other large goods to Elatana from Tavaris, many major Tavari manufacturers established facilities in Elatana. Defence-related fields dominate Elatana's manufacturing in the 21st century, especially firearms and military vehicles (in addition to the aforementioned shipbuilding industry), but civilian automaker Monata Automotive maintains significant operations in Elatana.