Stahlheim

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Grand Duchy of Stalheim

Flag
Capital
and largest city
Großmetall
Official languagesArkian
Recognised national languagesArkian, Ethalrian
Ethnic groups
Human 98%, Lupine 2%
Demonym(s)Stahlic
GovernmentDukedom
• Grafherzog
Markvart von Kutteiz
• Kaiserin
Ilse Erika von Freyaelv
Establishment
• Ethalrian colonization
1712
• Arkian Independence
1750
Area
• Total
11,019 km2 (4,254 sq mi)
Population
• Census
6,100,000
• Density
562.41/km2 (1,456.6/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)estimate
• Total
80.8 billion SHD
• Per capita
$13,032
CurrencyNote (ARK)
Date formatMM/DD/YYYY BCE/CE
Driving sideright
Calling code503
ISO 3166 codeAK-ST

The Grand Duchy of Stahlheim is one of the various internal sub-divisions of the Arkian Empire. It was established in 1712 as part of a mass wave of Ethalrian colonization of the region, replacing the previous Tretridian-run governments. Founded by the minor noble Teresa von Kutteiz with a land grant for 20,000 hectares, Stahlheim soon became a producer of cereals and baked goods supplied to surrounding polities, thanks to its large expanses of arable land. Expansions during the 18th and 19th centuries saw the fiefdom classified as a 'Grand Duchy' for its size and population. Stahlheim takes its name from the large iron deposits found underneath the capital of Großmetall; these valuable deposits were unearthed in the mid 1700s and saw the Grand Duchy begin to produce many forged steel goods.

Modern Stahlheim is somewhat poorer per-capita than the rest of the Arkian Empire, its agriculture slowly failing due to exhaustion of the soil and pollution from the enormous manufacturing infrastructure that has been built. The Grand Duchy took the side of the Empire during the Arkian Civil War in order to seize more arable land, using the nuclear capabilities it inherited from the Arkian Confederation as a front-line tactical deterrent. Current ducal initiatives include revitalizing the agriculture industry and cleaning up its environment, though funding is difficult to prioritize. While undoubtedly a highly-contributing component of the Arkian economy, its steel, machinery, and spare parts industries worth billions, Stahlheim cannot allocate most of its GDP to internal development due to prior obligations. Much of its revenue goes to the upkeep of the nuclear arsenal it maintains on behalf of the Empire, its security forces, and purchases of foodstuffs that increasingly are difficult to grow domestically.