Equatannia

The Federal Republic of Equatannia
the eqautatannian flag Flag of Equatannia Coat of Arms
Motto: All of Us, Together
Anthem: "Hard Times Come Again No More"
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Capital and largest city	Equaa
Official languages	Codex Staynish
Recognised regional languages	Equatannian Durakan Arkian
Ethnic groups (2019)	60% Human 20% Usine 10% Dwarf 10% Other
Demonym(s)	Equatannian
Government	Constitutional presidential republic
• President	Melinde Roswuud
• Vice President	Jon Furrbanks
• Speaker of the People	Janice Smitte
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	The People's Assembly
• Lower house	The Regional
Establishment
• The Great War Migration	1914-1918
• Chiefdom Formed	1920
• Internal Ambition	1927
• Annexation of The Isles	1933
• Government Formed	1936
• Constitution Ratified	1936
• Foreign Affairs Neutrality Resolution	1937
• Federal Reveal Act	2019
Population
• 2019 estimate	8 million
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	158,000,000,000
• Per capita	23,000‬
Currency	Equos (Eq)
Time zone	UTC-10
Date format	MM/DD/YYYY
Driving side	right
Calling code	404
ISO 3166 code	EQU
Internet TLD	.equ

The Federal Republic of Equatannia, commonly referred to as Equatannia, is a unitary constitutional presidential republic known for its stunning environment, compassionate citizens, and stringent health and safety legislation.

Equatannia's geopolitical borders make up the Starr Peninsula, nearly bordering Durakia to the north, and eight small islands to the south. The capital and most populous city is Equaa, situated on the eastern side of Equity Bay. Equatannia is currently governed by three regional boards under the direct rule of the federal government: Greater Equatannia, The Federal District of Equaa, and The Isles. Equatannia has an area of [] and a population of ~8 million. Most Equatannians are Human, while there are communities of various other races.

The two most populous districts that make up the portion of modern Equatannia on the Starr Peninsula, Greater Equatannia and the Federal District, were once separate sovereign entities with the Chiefdom of Equaa to the south and six established independent villages in the north. The nations never exhibited political conflict or hostility with one another and eventually came to the agreement to unite as one sovereign state in 1927. This resolution was forged over the course of several years now known as The Internal Ambition by a committee formed of ambassadors from both nations. After a period of influence throughout the late 1920s and the approval of a referendum passed by the native inhabitants in 1933, the sparsely populated Isles situated south of the Starr Peninsula were annexed into the Chiefdom as the third governmental region. The modern Constitution was ratified by The People's Assembly and The Regional in 1936 after being proposed by Turk Baline, the first Speaker of the People.

A majority of Equatannia's recent history was spent in a period of isolation that was brought about through administrative policy by Olympia Starr, the nation's first and longest-serving Head of State (1918-1939). This policy was introduced as The Foreign Affairs Neutrality Resolution due to fear of conflict from surrounding nations during the foundational years of the fledgling federal state, and was in place from 1937 until 2019. The Foreign Affairs Neutrality Resolution forbid the Federal Government of Equatannia from interacting with any foreign national state, while allowing near-open immigration from all Urth nations. The policy was repealed after The Federal Reveal Act was passed by Congress and signed by current President Melinde Roswuud on December 21, 2019.

History

Pre-Migration (?-1914)

Little is known about the inhabitants of the Starr Peninsula and Isles prior to The Great War Migration. Archaeologists have come to the conclusion that the earliest settlements were founded by dwarven nomads whose descendants are still present in modern-day Equatannia located in small communities of dwarves throughout the nation. These settlements traded among each other, proven by tool and accessory fossils, but were ravaged by rival natives on the eastern side of Irnac in the decades leading up to the Migration.

The Great War Migration (1914-1918)

This migration of refugees and defectors arose from the violent beginnings of The Great War and began as a repetitive cycle of settlement and displacement for various groups fleeing from their home countries. These groups would flee invading armies into sovereign states that disallowed immigration, so they would be deported or detained. This cycle eventually led thousands of individuals from primarily the eastern continents of Urth to settle primarily on the western coast of Irnac. A majority of these groups arrived using simple boats and rafts carved from local lumber, leading to many casualties during the trek.

It is believed that many of these caravans knew of the unclaimed native lands in the Equatannian area due to word of mouth transmission and ancient regional folk tales. Many groups set off on the journey with no solid evidence that the landmass even existed, yet the endeavor paid off. The first settlers arrived in the area of modern-day Equity Bay and quickly established the city that is the nation's capital today. Equaa quickly grew as hundreds of other transports arrived with those seeking asylum, and the citizens there welcomed them with open arms. Further north, smaller groups of settlers arrived quite later than those that had previously arrived in the southern portion of the peninsula. These groups populated throughout the area known as Freebelsta today, but quickly split off into six separate city-states due to idealogical differences.

Tribal Period (1918-1919)

Equaa flourished from internal trade among spread-out communities as well as exporting olives, grapes, figs, and various other produce that are native to the region's Mediterranean climate. The city's officials quickly established a form of chiefdom government after uniting all surrounding communities under one sovereign. The head's of multiple prominent families living in Equaa voted to appoint Olympia Starr, head of the Starr family, as the first Chief of Equaa in 1918. This boost in stability allowed swift economic progress and assisted in unifying the peninsula as one diverse culture. Equaa's government learned of the villages established to the north during several peace-seeking expeditions in late 1918 and early 1919. Chief Olympia Starr (1918-1920) established friendly relations with the communities and began delivering supplies to ease their hardship that was rampant throughout the beginnings of 1919.

The villages to the north all outspokenly agreed to work together and openly trade resources after a famine nearly wiped out the northeastern coast of the peninsula in January of 1919. Before then, the separate communities worked independently as cultural and ideological differences had forced them to separate from the area of Freebelsta originally. However, the area became a much more significant economical and industrial land after receiving funds and supplies from flourishing Equaa to the south. The villages worked in various government systems, but primarily operated in a more anarchy-based form of loose governments that lacked formidable structure and relied on citizen's arrests.

The Internal Ambition (1919-1927)

In 1919, Olympia Starr began contemplating the idea of proposing annexation to the northern villages and brought it to public discussion multiple times before announcing her campaign to do so in November of that same year. She traveled to Freebelsta herself throughout late November and announced her proposition to their citizens on November 26, 1919. The proposal immediately received great, vocal approval and praise from the locals that had gathered in Freebelsta Square. Citizen's spread Chief Starr's proposal through word-of-mouth and written pamphlets. In January and February of 1920, Starr traversed the densely forested north plains visiting all six established communities until she reached the eastern coast in March 1920. She then spent the next three years based in Freebelsta while working to establish an eastern port in the coastal area of previously established Nuuvari Nova, which was primarily a dwarven settlement that endorsed the idea of becoming a much more industrialized city. Before focusing on the new port, she worked to establish a committee made up of representatives from all villages and Equaa that was focused on unification under one sovereign. In May 1923, this committee submitted its finalized proposal titled The Internal Ambition that proposed guidelines the Chief and other government officials would have to abide by, as well as establishing The People's Assembly as an expanded form of representation aside from heads of families. The population of the area had expanded much more so than the original settlers had expected in the decade since their arrival due to continued open immigration and cultural obligations to produce many offspring. Olympia Starr enthusiastically approved of the thorough proposal and quickened the construction of the new port city. Later that summer, a caravan of over 1,000 Equaa citizens traveled up the eastern coast to officially establish the new port city of Nuuvari, to much praise from local dwarves and humans alike. Chief Starr is quoted that "Nuuvari is a labor of [her] love for all the people of Equaa."

Despite this foundation of new hope, many city government personnel in the north realms felt as if the proposal was a play to blindside them in a hostile takeover by Equaa. The winters of 1923-1926 brought much less suffering than previous years known to the northern inhabitants. This confirmed the hopes of the citizens of the various cities that Equaa would continue their genuine assistance despite not immediately ratifying the annexation proposition. The heads of each city-state voted to approve the annexation on June 1, 1927 after many positive and enthusiastic public rallies.