Aidia

The Republic of Aidia (Augustene: Republicae Aidia), more commonly refered to as Aidia is an island country off the southeastern coast of Korasha. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Epileo) and the South Island (Arci)—and over 15 smaller islands. Aidia is about DISTANCE kilometres (DISTANCE mi) east of NATION across the Aidian Sea. The country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the the Pearly Spires, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. Aidia's capital city, financial center, and most populous city is Cor Urbis.

The islands of Aidia were one of the last places in Korasha to be colonized by the Avanoran powers. During or before the mid first millennium, the first people to settle the islands, presumably arriving on outrigger canoes from present-day South Korasha. The South Korashan settlers began to settle in the islands and then developed a distinctive Aidian Culture. In 1502, the Augustene explorer Manius Pontilienus Cornicen became the first Avanoran to sight and record Aidia. In 1528, representatives of the Augustine Republic and the various Aidian Leaders signed the Treaty of Omich, which in its Augustene version declared Aidia to be a colony of the Augustine Republic, and several Augustene trading posts were established on the islands, including one in the largest city, which was renamed Cor Urbis. In 1815, Aidia became a colony within the Caliantene Empire. Aidia became a dominion in 1858 with the signing of the Edict of Calise, and has remained a dominion since. Today, the majority of Aidia's population of 11.8 million is of native descent; the Caliantene Immigrants are the largest minority, followed by Augustenes and Korashan Mainlanders. However, despite this, Aidia's culture is mainly derived from a mixture of Aidian traditions and early Augustene culture, with recent broadening of culture arising from increased immigration. The official languages are Augustene, Caliantene, and Aidian Sign Language, with the local dialect of Augustene being dominant.

A developed country, Aidia ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. The country is most known for its meritocratic attitudes towards both its government and workforce. The service sector dominates the national economy, followed by the industrial sector, and fishing; the international tourism accounts for a significant source of the nation's revenue. Nationally, legislative authority is vested in an elected, unicameral Senate, while executive political power is exercised by the Président du Conseil, currently Lucius Geganius Cinna, who chooses a cabinet to help exercise his or her duties. Emperor Gilliet V is the country's monarch and is represented by the governor-general. In addition, Aidia is organized into five Provincial Governments which are further divided into county governments.

Aidia is a member of Union of Nations and the Caliantene Empire.

Etymology
The Name "Aidia" can be traced back to the original settlers of the islands. Little information has been uncovered on what the word means.

Early period
Traditionally, archaeologists have estimated that the earliest settlers arrived in successive waves in outrigger canoes from South Korasha, possibly throughout the period between 350 BCE and 550 CE, while others are cautious about dates earlier than 250 CE. In either case, these dates make Aidia one of the latest major landmasses to be settled by humans. Dates earlier than the mid-first millennium AD are not strongly supported.

Upon arrival, early settlers practiced slash-and-burn agriculture to clear the coastal rainforests for cultivation. Eventually, Mainland Korashan traders first reached the island between the 7th and 9th centuries, and a wave of migrants followed the traders in around 1000 CE, where they began integrating into the Aidian culture. Korashan merchants, mostly coming from modern day Tarkna, arrived around 11th century. They introduced cattle and dogs to the islands. Irrigated wheat fields were developed in the northern flatlands of Arci, the largest island. The populations on the islands formed different tribes and subtribes which would sometimes cooperate, sometimes compete and sometimes fight against each other.

The First Assembly and Augustene Contacts
Around the twelfth century CE, the various tribal powers across the islands held a meeting in modern day Cor Urbis, where they formed the First Aidian Assembly, which was a loose alliance of tribal powers. The First assembly elected its High Chief with votes with the approval of each individual tribe's Chief. The First Assembly fostered a culture of pacifism throughout the islands with its heavy focus on tribal cooperation, much of which is still present to this day. The First Assembly eventually became very centralized, with the tribe located in modern day Cor Urbis becoming the leading force in the assembly. The First Assembly would continue to govern and maintain stability throughout the islands for centuries after its formation.

Augustene Contact
Avanoran contact began in 1502, when the Augustene sea captain Manius Pontilienus Cornicen sighted the islands while exploring the coasts of Korasha. Alai was the first Augustene settlement on the southern coast of the island of Arci. In 1510, settlers there built a village that consisted of a dock, a meeting hall, and many stucco houses, all surrounded by a crude wall for fortification. This settlement was established in 1520 at the behest of the viceroy of Augustene Korasha, INSERT NAME. Contacts continued for the following years until Viceroy NAME proposed the Treaty of Omich, which officially made the islands of Aidia a colony of the Augustine Republic in exchange for greater access to the land for Augustene trade.

Many Aidians revered the newcomers on the island, and began adopting many aspects of their culture. Augustene quickly became the primary language of the islands, along with the Sanctum becoming the most practiced faith among the Aidian peoples. They often traded Avanoran food, metal tools, weapons, and other goods for timber, Aidian food, artefacts, and water. In particular, potatoes provided a reliable food surplus for the First Assembly, now reorganized into the First Aidian Senate because of Augustene Influence. From the early 18th century, Sanctum missionaries began to settle around Aidia, which further increased the number of Sanctum members on the islands.

Government and politics
Aidia is a unitary constitutional monarchy, with significant devolved powers delegated to the local governments by the Senate. The country's governmental framework is laid out in the Constitution of Aidia.

Culture
Early Aidian adapted the tropically based South Korashan culture in line with the challenges associated with an island-based environment, eventually developing their own distinctive culture. Social organization was largely based on families. Many early Aidian tribes would pick their chiefs based on a consensus that was decided per family, with the head of the household, often the family matriarch, representing the family during Aidian Anointing Rituals. The Augustene and Caliantene immigrants brought aspects of their own culture to Aidia and also influenced Aidian culture. In particular, the Augustene language spread throughout the country shortly after their trading posts were established, and has since become the most spoken language on the islands even to this day.