Ecoralia

Ecoralia (Ecoral: Ikrogaalië, pronounced [ikɹɔɣɑlɪə]), officially the Kingdom of Ecoralia, is a country in northern Alutra. It is bordered by Edury to the east and by Ordrey and Lathadu to the southeast. The majority of the country's population lives near the country's northern coastline. The country's capital and largest city is Monstad. Ecoralia covers an area of 1,900,119 square kilometres, and its population in 2020 was estimated to be approximately 63.3 million people.

Many different peoples have inhabited the lands of modern day Ecoralia, and today, Ecoralian is a. Ethnic Ecoralanders are the largest ethnic group in the country, although the country has increasingly diversified, especially over the past century. The southern half of the country has been continually inhabited by the ethnic Sedic Tir people for millennia. The political rights of Sedes in Ecoralia have been a contentious political issue for much of the country's history.

Ecoralia is uniquely one of the few remaining in northeastern Alutra. The Ecoralian royal family has occupied Monberg Castle as its seat of power since the 1100s. Over the country's history, the Ecoralian royal family has gradually ceded powers to democratic governance, with the most recent transformation occurring in 1966 and the adoption of the Ecoralian Charter of Human Dignity.

Etymology
The country's name comes from the Ordrish term Icrochal, the furred people, in reference to the heavy furs worn by the people around the mouth of the Gaal River.

For centuries, the country was known as Ecoraland until a national referendum in 1982 successfully changed the name, in response to pressure from the Sedic peoples' movement.

Early history
The earliest written histories in Ecoralia date from around 230BCE, with the emergence of Stroomism in the Gaal River estuary. A collapse of the trading routes supported by the Great Sedic Confederation caused a massive famine throughout much of the Alutran Steppe. This, in turn, encouraged Sedes living in the steppe to move north and interact with Ecoralers.

Evidence of initial political structures across the Gaal River estuary emerge in around 300CE. After initial contact, a number of Ecoralander traders move north and begin regular trading along the Gaal, Sams, and Netje Rivers. This begins a new system of economic trade of raw materials, especially precious metals, among the southern Sedes and fish from Ecoralander ports.

Initial economic flourishing
Market ports along the northern Alutran coastline align into Samenwater trading network just after the first millennium. The emergence of the Samenwater network marks the first economic flourishing in the region and extends the Ecoral language throughout the region.

The importance of the trading network leads to the development of the Samenwaterijk trading rules, enforced by a private navy funded through taxes collected in participating ports. This practice also leads to the foundation of zolthuisen,, across northern Alutra, creating the precursor to some of the world's first permanent diplomatic missions in the 1100s.

A number of religiously-supported universities across the plains of northern Alutra began to take hold in the 1200s. First supported by the emergence of Stroomism and Ayekism, the universities begin to compete for "students" and converts to the competing faiths. This tension starts the Eduran schism and the eventual independence of Edury. Early Stroomist institutions, such as Zoas and Netjemond universities, would serve as the foundation of the modern institutions today.

Ecoraland
The economic boom of the Samenwaterijk period and the drive for new markets drove Ecoralanders to expand their territory. Following an initial attempt to further integrate (nationality TBC) ports along the North Alutran Sea into the network, (nationality TBC; land to the west of Ecoralia)

This conflict led to a land-based invasion by (nationality TBC) through the Upper Gaal River Valley in mid-1100s. The voogd (feudal lord) based in the Ecoralander city of Monstad, Kees the Great successfully stopped the invasion and returned home with the title of Ikrogaals koning, King of the Ecoralanders.

This claim is credited as the start of the Ecoralian monarchy, although it was not until the marriage of his son, Andries to Heleentje of Rodhar in 1189 that the monarchy began to consolidate multiple feudal dominions into a single kingdom.

The early days of Ecoralander regal history were a dark period. The economy shrunk as more and more ports opted out of the Samenwaterijk agreements for freer trade with other countries. The royal family, desperate to prevent similar political, social, and religious transformations as were ongoing in neighbouring Edury, closed much of the country to external interactions.

Colonial era
The Ecoralian colonial era started on Alutra. Ecoralanders, noting the mineral richness of the hilly terrain surrounding them to the south, began to move further and further inland. This caused a number of tensions with the primarily Sedic peoples living on the margins of the Alutran Steppe.

However, the largest land advancements were made over the course of the 1400s as a series of dry seasons caused low harvests throughout the Sams River basin. Ecoralanders used the desperate situation to entice the Sedic peoples living along the river to convert to Stroomism and argued that the drought were the result of theistic imbalance.

(Rest of section left blank, as colonial details get confirmed.)

(There may also be a section here about the Sedic-Salian conflicts and the roles of Ecoralanders, as details emerge.)

The country's consequents through the colonial era come to a close as conflicts emerge across northeastern Alutra. Ordric and Lathadun independence movements cause concern among the noble families of Ecoraland and call for further powers in their dominions. These demands are codified into the First Constitution of Ecoraland, which reserve political rights to native Ecoralanders.

Ecoral Enlightenment
The 1800s brought about a commonly known as the Ecoral Enlightenment. Cornerstones to this period were the completion of the East Ecoraland Canal, which opened up a year-round trading route between the North Alutran Sea and the Netjezee Bay, and the rapid development of a rail network. These new advancements reduced trading costs and delays and enabled faster travel across the vast geographic distances of the country's northern points into the Alutran Steppe.

(Assumed war/battles here. It's about time, and yes, the Ecoralanders are charging heavy taxes to foreigners for use of the canal.)

During this period, a liberal political movement in Ecoraland’s cities calls for a Second Constitution, which grants additional political rights for those in Ecoraland proper as voogds, long-held titles of nobility, become popularly elected counsellors to the monarch, and nobles inherit equivalent titles as beheerders (stewards) of their realms in a dual-counsel system. The Second Constitution also includes the continued exclusion of political rights for the primarily Sedic communities across the Alturan Steppe. The Constitution also includes the nomination of a Governor, an appointee of the Ecoralian monarch who assumes many of the executive functions of the Royal House.

Modern democracy
Desiring for political rights and self-determination and embolden by the republican revolutions in Lathadu and Ordrey, ethnic Tir groups organise an economic blockade in the mines throughout the southern part of the country, especially in Samsdal and Oostendall regions. This blockade, the 1907 Ecoralian economic blockade, supported by the Ordrish and Lathadun governments, causes an economic crisis in Ecoraland, and the government agrees to negotiations with representatives from Sedic communities in the country.

The Constitution Act 1908 brought full democracy to Ecoraland, with a unicameral parliament, the Pratenplaats, with a reserved quota of seats elected from the primarily Sedic Alutran Steppe. The head of government, the Governor-General, becomes an elected position by the members of the parliament. The Constitution also establishes a Constitutional Court of Ecoraland

Since then, further political reforms have been passed into Ecoralian law. Bolstered by a number of social movements across the country, the Ecoralian Charter of Human Dignity, Het Handvest van menselijke waardigheid, was adopted in the 1966. This Charter created a number of constitution rights for individuals and gave the Constitutional Court the authority to hear Charter appeals. In the same year, the legislative quota system in the Pratenplaats switched to nationally-eligible ethnic voter rolls, the kiezerslijsten, with reserved seats for ethnic communities based on population.

Once again facing a crisis of identity, the country held a national referendum in 1982 to rename the country. Ecoraland, as the historical name for the region in the middle of the country that has been the homeland for ethnic Ecoralanders, evoked domestic tensions among minority communities. With leverage in the Pratenplaats, left-wing and ethnic minority members pushed for a renaming of the country to a more neutral and internationalised Ecoralia.

Geography
Ecoralia, due to its expansive size across northern Alutra, holds a large geographic diversity. It includes most of the Alutran Steppe across its southern half, which remains mostly uninhabited except for the eastern side bordering Ordrey and Lathadu. The central part of the Ecoralia covers mostly flat and fertile plains with rivers feeding into the North Alutran Sea or the Netjezee Bay.

Heading further north, the land narrows into the Witland peninsula, with rocky terrain, cold weather, and modest isolate most villages in this area except by sea routes. The northern tip of the Witland peninsula is annually surrounded by sea ice.

Ecoralia also holds claim over a series of uninhabited islands in the north and a fractional claim of the polar continent, Polairland. These islands, however, due to their expansive position across the ^ Sea, represent the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost points in Ecoralia.

Most Ecoralians experience two major seasons: a bitterly cold and icy winter (winter in Ecoral) and a temperate warm season (zomer in Ecoral). However, the northernmost parts of the Witland peninsula remain frozen year-round, just as the southernmost parts of the country are consistently cold and dry.

Due to the country's northernly position, the length of days varies widely with two major seasons. During the winter months, days will shrink to around 7-8 hours of sunlight; in the summer, this can extend up to 15 hours of sunlight.

Ecology
With its varied geography, Ecoralia also holds a wide ecological diversity. Originally densely forested through most of the central and northern parts of the country, the through much of Ecoraland have been destroyed or reduced for agricultural production. The more mountainous terrain to the north has retained more of its forestation.

The country's cool but temperate climate and geographic orientation around the North Alutran Sea has allowed a unique ecology to develop. Polar otters thrive in the waters of Onse Bay and feature on the coat of arms for Ecoralia. Other major animals unique to the area include deer across much of the central plains and bears and reindeer further north along the peninsula.

The southern steppe retains much of its own climate and ecology compared to the rest of the country. Given the limited precipitation and river drainage through the region, most of the region has limited flora and fauna; however, some unique shrubs and low-lying plants grow along the Eastern Hills region to the southwestern corner of the country.

Administrative divisions
Ecoralia is divided into thirteen wards (Ecoral: gebieden). The country's northernmost territory, its Polairland claim on the polar continent, is separately administered through the central government. The gebieden reflect the amalgamation of the historic wards given to noble lords by the monarch.

Most of the current wards were created with the Local Government Act 1967, primarily motivated to split the heavily populated Gaalland ward into two, with the capital city of Monstad forming the core of its own gebied. The two exceptions to this are the Eastern Hills and Hartir wards, created in 1977 as a result of a Charter legal case alleged the combination all southern lands into a single district constituted a violation of the Tir peoples' Charter rights.

Politics
Ecoralia is a mature democracy with robust, multiparty politics. Its government is divided into three branches: the executive, headed by the Governor-General on behalf of the Monarch; the legislative, formed by the Pratenplaats; and the judicial, including the Constitutional Court of Ecoralia. These institutions and their relationships are defined by the Ecoralian Constitution.

Elections are held every five years on the second Monday in May, unless the government loses the confidence of the Pratenplaats. Voting is compulsory, and absenteeism without a permitted excuse incurs a civil fine. Voters may register for one of three voter rolls, kiezerslijsten: the national roll, open to any citizen; the Tir voter roll; or the Sedic peoples voting roll. Non-citizen residents may also vote in municipal elections.

Monarchy
Ecoralia has retained its monarchy through centuries, and the Royal Family of Ecoralia still plays an important part of public life. The current King of Ecoralia is King Mathijs II, who has held the throne since 2018 with the death of Queen Matilda I. A modernist, King Mathijs II has been substantially more active in international politics than his predecessors, with particular efforts to champion political responses to climate change and energy production.

Since the Third Constitution of Ecoralia, the monarchy has held primarily ceremonial duties. While the monarch continues to hold the formal right to chair meetings of the Cabinet of Ecoralia, this privilege is rarely exercised. The monarch is also and may not be held for any criminal or civil penalty. The monarch resides in Monberg Castle.

Political parties
Several political parties contest the elections at all levels of administration. Currently, thirteen parties have members in the Pratenplaats as of the 2018 election: