Bellogaard

Bellogaard, officially the Republic of Bellogaard (Bellogaardian: Ryeblien Beogaardi), is a unitary constitutional republic located in eastern Avanor. Bellogaard is bordered to the north, east, and south by Novogaard, while Yurogaard lies to the southwest, and Cyrogaard to the west. The nation comprises an area of LAND AREA, and is home to 15'771'884 people according to the latest census data. The capital and largest city is Bellogaard, from which the Republic itself gains its name.

Describe national history

Bellogaard is a nation which gained independence and democracy nearly half a century ago, when the Soft Revolutions in eastern Avanor led to the independence of Cyrogaard, Yurogaard, and Olgengaard. Since its modern constitution was founded, the nation has become an emerging democratic power, and has become a tourist hub. According to the Avanor Union, the nation has a robust system of constitutional protections for its people, and systems in place to ensure the rule of law, and free and fair elections. The nation has become a center of development, with its main industries focused in high tech engineering, electronics, machine-building, steel production, automotive manufacturing, and the processing of pharmaceuticals. The nation, however, is primarily a service based economy, with a focus on research and development, software development, nanotechnology, and life sciences. Its main agricultural products are cereals, as well as various meads and other alcoholic beverages.

Etymology
The region we refer to as Bellogaard today gained this name early on, it is believed. When the Gaardic people inhabited the region in the late 200's BCE, it is believed that the lands were referred to as Bollygaard, meaning "beautiful land", and this evolved into Bielygaard, the modern Bellogaardian word for the nation, with the same meaning. The first written account using the name comes, not from the Bellogaardians themselves, but from the Imperials, where certain records from their military outposts in the east dating back to the 150s BCE referred to a people in the far east as Belligae (the Augustine word for Bellogaard), who produced a number of meads and lagers, for which they were given pelts and iron tools. The name Bellogaard was officially adopted when the nation was organized as an Imperial Duchy of the Novogaardian Empire in 1310.

Prehistory
Bellogaard was originally inhabited by Thanic peoples, who migrated into the region from the east in the 12'000s BCE according to archeological records. The region remained a largely underdeveloped era throughout most of the BCE era, as Imperial reach did not extend into the region of Bellogaard, though there is evidence of fighting between Thanic groups. There has been some speculation amongst historians of Bellogaard was the described "Avinterii" as described by the historian Veter Marciem in his "Compendium of the World", written in 682 BCE, though some argue that the described "Avinterii" could have been Cyrogaard, Novogaard, or even somewhere beyond, though speculation on the matter still continues.

Early Middle Ages
Bellogaard soon became the battleground between the Gaardic and Thanic peoples, as the Gaardic moved into the region, displacing the Thanic tribes that had once lived there, or otherwise assimilating them en masse into the Bellogaardian culture. As the Gaardic people migrated into the region, they settled into former Thanic towns and villages, with the city of Bellogaard becoming the largest in the region by 813 CE. During this period, the Bellogaardians fought several wars with other Gaardic peoples, especially the Petroaardians, for control over the hilly region.