Galizia

Galizia, officially the Republic of Galizia (Castlian: República de Galizia), is a sovereign state located in western Skathia. Home to just over 42 million inhabitants, it is the world's most populous Castlian-speaking nation. The country is a federal republic, subdivided into seven federal states and two autonomous cities (Cervantes and Santa la Villa), with its seat of government located in Cervantes. It shares a land border with the Nylander Republic in the east.

The country has its roots in Castlian colonisation of northern Skathia during the 11th century. Galizia rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Esmeralda, a Castlian overseas viceroyality founded in 1361. Declaring its independence from Castleon in 1365, Galizia existed in the form of a constitutional monarchy for the first thirty seven years of its existence. Hostility towards the royal family was widespread from the outset, and in 1402, Galizia transformed into republic after a series of protests shook the country. Galizia gained its current eastern territory in the 1377 Nylander-Castlian War, after entering the war on the side of the Nylander Republic and the Holy Lanlanian Empire. During the 15th century, the nation developed into a relatively stable and prosperous authoritarian republic, though, due to a series of reforms known as the "Liberal Reforms" - extending the franchise to all citizens, including women - Galizia emerged as one of the world's freest and most democratic states by the late 1400s. In the 1410s and 1420s the country experienced severe left-right political polarization and turmoil, culminating with the 1425 coup d'etat that overthrew the left-wing government of Francisco Gabaeci. A 32 year-long military dictatorship led by General Antonio Kampandegi was established in the aftermath, though the regime collapsed in 1557 due to both internal and external pressures. Since the passing of a new constitution that same year, the country has been governed by a series of coalition governments and has reemerged as one of the region's most stable democracies.

According to the nation's constitution, the sole official language of the Republic of Galizia is Castlian. The nation's latest census found that 92% of Galizians speak Castlian at home, 5% speak Mazpuc - the language of Galizia's indigenous community- and the remaining 2% speak a foreign language. A slight majority of Galizian citizens claim both Brigidnan and indigenous roots, whilst a significant minority of Galizians identify entirely as Brigidnan (or white). The country is home to a relatively large black community, the descendants of slaves who were brought to Galizia during the first few decades of the country's existence. The nation hosts the largest Akitian community outside Ostara. The most prevalent religious faith in the country is Sentricism, though it enjoys no formal recognition as Galizia is officially a secular state. A majority of Galizians describe themselves as religious, though the latest census found that the younger generation identify mostly as atheist or agnostic.

Politics

Galizian President Domingo Eyzaguirre

Demographics

According to the 1574 National Census, Galizia is home to 42,530,530 persons, an increase from 37,986,401 in 1564. It is currently the second most populous sovereign state in western Skathia and the sixth most populous in the continent as a whole. The nation has a population density of 51.47 persons per square kilometer of land area. Galizia's population has long had one of Skathia's lowest birth rates and population growth rates (recently, about 0.89% a year), but it enjoys a comparatively low infant mortality rate. The median age is approximately 30 years and life expectancy at birth is of 77 years.

Galizia is highly urbanized, with the ten largest metropolitan areas accounting for just under half of the population, and fewer than one in ten living in rural areas. The nation's largest metropolitan area, Santa La Villa, is home to just under ten million inhabitants (almost a quarter of the country's total population), making it one of the largest metropolitan areas of Skathia and the world as a whole.

Ethnicity

According to the 1574 Census, 51.5% of the country's population are classified as Mestizo, normally individuals with both indigenous and Brigidnan origins, 38.2% are classified as White, individuals with roots primarily from Brigidna, 5.1% as indigenous, individuals belonging to one of the country's various native tribes, 3.2% are classified as Black, mostly descendants of slaves, and 2% are classified as Akitian, descendants of early settlers who arrived in the country as cheap labour after slavery was abolished.

Since the arrival of the Castlians in the 1100s, considerable miscegenation between indigenous, Brigidnans , and Blacks has taken place in all regions of the country. The brown population, formally referred to as Mestizo (meaning mixed), is a broad category that includes Galizians with mixed indigenous-Brigidnan ancestry, those with mixed Brigidnan-black ancestry and even those with mixed indigenous-black origins. In contemporary Galizia, the term is mistakenly thought to mean only those citizens with mixed indigenous-Brigidnan roots. The term indigenous usually refers to those Galizians who speak Mazpuc as a first language and still identify with the aboriginal culture and symbols.

In 1524, just over 55% of the country's population was classified as White, but as a result of a much stricter (one drop rule) criteria being introduced by the government of General Antonio Kampandegi the overall figure decreased to 34.3% of the total population by 1534. It has since risen due to a recent influx of Brigidnans, particularly from Castleon and Eskkya, and also due to the "one drop rule" being dropped. Still, the current figure dwarfs those from before the military dictatorship. Academic experts have concluded that more and more Galizians have become content with identifying as Mestizo as opposed to white.

Most Galizians are descended from the 14th and 15th-century immigrants of the great immigration wave to Galizia (1350–1455), with a great majority of these immigrants coming from the Brigidnan continent, primarily Lomarre and Castleon. The majority of Galizians, including the country's Mestizo community, claim ancestry from several Brigidnan countries. In fact, a study carried out by the University of Cervantes found that 64.% of the population claim partial Lomarren ancestry, higher than the figure for partial Castlian roots (58.1%). Other groups that have made an impact on the overall ethnic composition of the Republic of Galizia include Lomarren and Eskkyan Eushayans, Eskkyans, Vallish, Oslanburgans, Bunesgans,Abdanians and Arberians.

As Galizia remains an ethnically diverse nation and Galizians of all origins are found throughout the country, observers have dubbed it a "true melting pot", but the reality is not so glamorous, with certain areas of the country standing out for being almost exclusively white or Mestizo. The ethnic composition of the state varies greatly between localities: the greatest concentration of White Galizians are found in the westernmost regions, primarily in the cities of Cervantes, Chingudi, Guisando, Uriz and Gasteiz, whilst those identified as Mestizo are mostly centred in the easternmost regions and in coastal cities such as Santa la Villa and Los Angeles del Mar. The state of Labort, the country's westernmost state, is 93.7% White, whilst the state of Salta is 81.6% Mestizo.

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  White Galizian girls

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  Mestizo Galizian girls

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  Indigenous Galizian girl

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  Black Galizian girls

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  Akitian Galizian girls

Language

According to the Supreme Constitution of the Republic of Galizia, the sole official language of the state is Castlian. The country is presently the most populous Castlian-speaking nation in the world.

Almost all of the Galizian population speaks Castlian, 99.3% according to the latest census, nonetheless around 7.1% still speaks an indigenous language besides Castlian. Due to the immense influence of Lomarren, the Galizian accent is considerably different from the Castlian of other Castlian-speaking nations. Many Galizians thus speak with the sing-song rhythm that Lomarrens use.

Many indigenous Galizians, around 5%, speak Mazpuc - the nation's only surviving indigenous language - as a first language. The state of Labort, possibly the only Galizian state with a distinct character and identity, is home to a large Eushayan community (with roots from both the Eskkyan and Lomarren Eushayan Country) and there has been in recent years a surge in support to promote the Eushayan language within the region.

There are several second-languages in widespread use among the Galizian population:

• Lanlian, mandatory subject at school from age 6, 64% of the country's population claim to be able to speak the language, with 29% of them claiming to have high-level of language comprehension
• Florinthian, mandatory subject at school from age 11, 48% of the poppulation claim to be able to speak the language.
• Lomarren, by 1.6 million people
• Laurentian, by just over 1 million people
• Akitian, by 550,000 people
• Eushayan, many dialects, by 410,000 people
• Oslanburgan, by 350,000 people
• Gein, by 170,000 people

Religion

Whilst the Republic of Galizia is officially a secular state, according to its very own constitution, a majority of Galizian citizens identify as adherents of the Sentric Church.

Culture

Sport

Rugby is a popular sport in Galizia.