Shenewa

Shenewa is a country in central Avalonia covering 571,062km2 on the shores of the Ingonian Sea. It is bordered to its west by Tilenno and Arroyo-Abeille and New Valentina to its north. Centred on the Tueawa and Yvyrayvate river basins and with its agriculture made plentiful by the seasonal rains off the Ingonian, the territory of Shenewa has always been a densely populated area. As of 2022, its population is estimated at 198,158,514. Its capital is located in the old imperial city of Wehanenepē on the shores of Lake Tehuilotl. However, its largest city is the former city state of Taunge on the shores of the Ingonian.

The area of modern day Shenewa has been inhabited for many thousands of years. The first organised Shenewan kingdoms began to appear in the lowlands in the early first millennium BCE, formed around temples as their centres of power and administration. However, these early kingdoms were smashed apart by the arrival in Shenewa of the Keumoine, a Polynesian people thought to be distantly related to the inhabitants of modern day Theyka. What followed were the centuries known in Shenewan history as The Anarchy. During this time, the Keumoine raided up and down the Lumis and Qaypez rivers from strongholds established near the coast. However, gradually the Keumoine's presence in Shenewa changed from raiding parties to settlements, more interested in trade than loot. Their coastal strongholds gradually transformed from staging posts for raids to ports, bringing in goods from the Ingonian sea and transporting it upriver, across Northern Avalonia. From these coastal city states, the Keumoine struck out, establishing trading posts further upriver which would in turn become small cities in their own right. During this time, the Keumoine were the dominant power in Shenewa, ruling the remnants of the native kingdoms as overlords, growing wealthy on the river trade. This era was not to last. Eventually, rallying from the initial shock of the arrival of the Keumoine, the native kingdoms of northern Shenewa around Lake Tsohtooh and the uppermost reaches of the Lumis basin began to increase in power once more, slowly becoming powerful enough to become the overlords of the Keumoine cities which had once ruled them. It was one of these kingdoms which would form Shenewa's first empire, around Lake Tsohtooh. With its administration provided by the old native temples yet employing armies of Keumoine mercenaries, as had become common across Shenewa, this empire is sometimes called the first truly Shenewan realm. However, this appelation is not agreed upon by historians, with a majority believing it to have been little different to the Keumoine city states or previous native kingdoms in most respects. Like its predecessors, this empire would eventually collapse, splintering into numerous successor kingdoms.

Within a few decades of the collapse of this first empire, West Artemian explorers found their way to Avalonia. Whilst it would be a number of years before they made direct contact with the peoples of Shenewa, it is likely that the Shenewans were aware of these strangers from across the sea due to the Shenewan trading links across the Ingonian. When the West Artemians finally did find their way to Shenewa, they were seen not as foreigners to be cast out but as just another business opportunity by the cities of the coast. Whilst there had always been wars over trade along Shenewa's rivers, fuelled by West Artemian money and technology, these wars grew to a never-before-seen scale during the approximately 300 years of the so-called Colonial Period. West Artemian states would support their client Shenewan states against their neighbours, supplying them with the latest weapons, in exchange getting favourable trade concessions along the profitable Shenewan trade routes. In (one of the Shenewan languages), this time is known as the "age of red rivers", testament to the bloodshed that ensued from Shenewan kingdoms transforming their always large populations into enormous armies to wage wars on behalf of their West Artemian backers.

Gradually however, the West Artemian support for these wars slackened as their own colonies began to spread further and further inland across North and Central Avalonia and the profitability of Shenewa's river trade decreased. This did little to decrease the bloodshed as Shenewa's realms continued to fight over the trickle of money left from trade along the rivers. However, out of these wars emerged the first Shenewan Emperor, a warlord of the state of (?). He designated six trading ports on Shenewa's coast through which West Artemians would be allowed to trade, giving each to a different West Artemian power. However, this was to be the limit of West Artemian power in his Empire, determined as he was not to become just another vassal ruler. The first empire kept the peace for nearly 100 years, although future emperors gradually expanded the areas in which West Artemians could do business. However, eventually the first empire's system of government would break down, with individual warlords gradually assuming control of various areas of Shenewa. Whilst the emperors still sat in (capital), they had little power. All practical power rested with these warlords for almost 30 years, seeing them wage Shenewa's first industrial wars against each other. It wasn't until after the war of Imperial Restoration, in which the warlords were overthrown by a group of idealistic young army officers, that the Emperor was restored to his authority and Shenewa united again, beginning the Second Imperial Period, extending until the present day.

Shenewa is a developing economy with a nominal GDP per capita of $6,085.

Pre-history (before 1,500 BCE)
Traces of hominid activity in Shenewa can be found dating back to nearly a million years ago. In this early period, the hominids inhabiting what is modern-day Shenewa would have been hunter-gatherers. During the last glaciation period (between 150,000 and 15,000 BCE) much of Shenewa was hot, semi-arid desert. Agriculture spread to the area by around 7,000 BCE, seeming to have spread up from southern Avalonia along with the mound house culture, evidence of whom starts appearing in western Shenewa around the same time.

First kingdoms (1300-400 BCE)
Steady consolidation of power around religious centres which served as early palaces/power centres.

The Anarchy (200-75 BCE)
Old, religious centre based kingdoms are either shattered or enter into decline, vulnerable to river raids by Keumoine who begin to entrench themselves in cities along the banks of the river Tueawa (until c. 100 BCE)

City States Period (75 BCE-232 CE)
The Keumoine settle into large city states on the coast and along the rivers Tueawa and Yvyrayvate  which become the dominant political units, exercising overlordship over the remaining, much reduced old religious centre based kingdoms. Over the coming decades/centuries the city states would grow wealthy from carrying Ingonian sea trade with Zahava up the rivers Tueawa, Yvyrayvate and Repo further inland across northern Avalonia.

(Northern) resurgence (232-649 CE)
One of the old religious centre based kingdoms grows and through reforms to administration and changes in agriculture begins to eclipse the city states in power. Whilst the kingdom splinters within 2-3 generations, the system of government it brings about reverses the balance of power in the country's north, with the theocratic kingdoms becoming overlords of the city states. (c. 500 CE).

(Two realms era) (649-1014 CE)
Following the northern resurgence, Shenewa is divided into two realms, culturally and religiously. The northern kingdoms, dominated by the ancient theocratic traditions of Shenewa's earliest civilisations whilst the southern part of the country remains dominated by city states ruled in accordance with the customs and practices of the Keumoine. During this period, a caste system begins to take root in the south, finding its basis in the initial divide between the Keumoine descended ruling and urban class and the (native) inhabitants of the countryside but gradually spreading to other areas.

The Tehuilotl Empire (c. 1014-1332 CE)
The Tehuilotl Imperial period is often dated to the battle of (?). Here, King Itzcuauhtli I crushed a Keumoine raiding party into the north decisively. From this point on, no more raiding parties attempted to go north into the areas under the Tehuilotl Empire.

Following his reign, the kingdom of (?) exercised undisputed control over the area around Lake Tehuilotl and more importantly the lucrative trade routes that ran north through it. Over the following centuries, his dynasty would use this wealth to expand their kingdom. Ruling over the western shores of Lake Tehuilotl and parts of the Tueawa and Caltentli rivers, this has sometimes been pointed to as the beginning of a Shenewan state. However, in reality, whilst the largest realm yet seen in Shenewa at the time, it did not rule over anything like the whole country. The coastal areas remained largely untouched by the Tehuilotl empire, as did much of the Tueawa river basin and the southern highlands.

The Tehuilotl Empire saw a flowering of art and culture in Shenewa. By this period, the predominant literary and courtly language of the northern areas of Shenewa was Imperial Tonge. Whilst still an (Uto-Aztecan) language grammatically, the bulk of Imperial Tonge's vocabulary was borrowed from Keumoine, as much as 80% by some estimates.

The Tlasemololtin (1354 CE-1526 CE)
Following the collapse of the Tehuilotl Empire, territories it had former ruled split off into a number of successor states, the Tlasemololtin. Whilst no longer a unified empire, these realms still continued to resemble the late Tehuilotl period in their art, literature and culture.

The arrival of West Artemians (1526 CE)
When the West Artemians discovered Shenewa, the first of its many cultures they encountered were the Keumoine dominated city states. As a consequence, they adopted the Keumoine name for it, Shenewa, meaning the "land of rivers". The first Artemian to properly explore the territory of modern Shenewa was an Agranian named X.

1526-1794 CE
The early colonial period in Shenewa was characterised less by colonisation and more by the West Artemians involving themselves in the conflicts between Shenewan powers. Whereas in other areas, the primary interest of West Artemians was in establishing colonies, in Shenewa the prize was favourable trading rights on the rivers at the heart of the area. Shenewan states often offered West Artemians these in exchange for aid, whether it be material, military or both. Whilst wars had not been uncommon in the pre-colonial period, the extra resources poured into them by the West Artemian powers led to wars of a scale, intensity and frequency that had never been seen before in Shenewa. In Ysyryñohára, this period is called "Ysyry Pytã Ára", or "The time of Red Rivers".

Involved powers:

Agrana y Griego

Zahava (maybe)

Shenewan-Theykan Pact (1850s or 1860s)
Return of the city of Pakoura to Shenewan control in exchange for favourable trade arrangements for Theyka. The Return of Pakoura

Shenewan-Valentine war
Defeat for Shenewa. Leads to the surrender of South-West Oersegen to New Valentine. The Julianus War

Warlord states period (1908-1943)
Whilst the Emperor still nominally ruled over all of Shenewa, the real power and unit of government became various states within states ruled over by warlords. This was made possible by the system of government put in place by the First Emperor. Rather than create a separate civilian administration, he had divided Shenewa into a series of military governorships. This system founds its roots in the wars that had wracked Shenewa for centuries, where the primary business of the machinery of state had been in place to raise and supply armies. To facilitate this, civilian administrators had answered to the local military commander. However, in the near century of relative peace since unification, this had allowed military governors to turn their governorships into private fiefdoms.

The roots of the practical dissolution of Shenewa into the warlord states is found in the constitutional crisis that occurred when Keaēreha died and his daughter Roamete took to the throne. Initially, much of the practical work of the rule of the empire was given over to her uncle and Prime Minister (name). However, when he was assassinated by an anarchist intellectual in 1908, the system broke down completely and generals in the provinces began to refuse orders from the capital. Her death in 1909 and the accession of her 6 year old son ensured there was no one powerful enough to stop the break up of the empire. When Emperor Temenua came of age and seemed to be making moves to reassert Imperial authority, he died suddenly at the age of 25 in 1934. Historical consensus is that he was assassinated.

Communist Insurgency (1951-54)
During the Warlord era, many communal defence militia sprung up across Shenewa. For the most part these organisations existed to defend their community against looting or conscription parties. However, some militias took their mission further, espousing the ideals of communism and fighting for a communist Shenewa, free from the tyranny of the warlords and incompetence of emperors. During the Wars of Imperial Restoration, these militias fought both the Imperial forces and the Warlords. However, they lacked the organisation to ever be more than an irritant for the warring parties. Following the Imperial victory, many of these communist militias still existed, particularly in the south east and west of the country. Therefore, the Imperial Army and Gendarmerie turned a great deal of their now free attention toward hunting down and destroying these militias. By 1954, the communist militias had largely either been destroyed or disbanded. Whilst the military campaign played a part, it's been argued that the principal reason for this was that the stability brought by the Imperial restoration made the Communist promise of revolution and the instability it would bring less attractive to the population. Consequently, support for the communists among the population eventually melted away.

Physical Geography
Measuring 571,062km2, Shenewa is the 39th largest country in Anterra. It is located on the east coast of Central Avalonia, on the shores of the Ingonian Sea. Shenewa is generally quite a flat country, with its highest point being 1,228m above sea level, with the majority of the country being between sea level and 600m.

Climate and seasons
Shenewa is a nation whose climate is characterised by wet and dry seasons of varying lengths. In the highlands, the wet season and dry season are similar lengths. Normally, the highland wet season will begin in May and end in September. In the lowlands, the wet season lasts substantially longer, beginning in late March or early April and extending until September. These seasons are caused by evaporation from the Ingonian sea. Gradually the rain drains into the Tueawa and Yvyrayvate river basins and from there away into the Ingonian sea, which is at its highest level in early March. The difference between temperature in the wet and dry seasons is more pronounced in the highlands, whilst in the lowlands the temperature is relatively static year-round.

Most of Shenewa can be classified as a tropical savanna. The exception to this is the far south east of the country, along the Yvyrayvate river, which can be classified as a tropical monsoon and tropical rainforest climate.

Central Avalonian Water buffalo
The Central Avalonian water buffalo has been domesticated in Shenewa for thousands of years. Historically, it was principally used as an agricultural work animal. In modern times, it has been bred more for its meat and milk.

Tueawa King Prawn
The Tueawa river is home to what is commonly known as the Tueawa King Prawn, a large species of freshwater shrimp whose natural habitat is in the Tueawa river and Lake Tehuilotl. In addition to wild Tueawa King Prawns, Shenewans have been cultivating king prawns for food for many hundreds of years.

(Highland Deer)
The (Highland deer) is a small species of deer which lives in the highlands found in western Shenewa. Males of the species typically weight between 60 and 80kg whilst females normally weigh 40-60kg. Thought to be the distant cousins of the (lowlands deer), they have been present since prehistory in the area of modern Shenewa as attested by cave paintings.

Tueawa Deer
The Tueawa deer is a distant relative of the (Highland deer) adapted to live in the Tueawa river basin. Due to the dense undergrowth of woodlands in the area, the Tueawa deer has evolved to be smaller than its relatives, with males tending to be between just 15-20kg.

Administrative Divisions
When it was unified in 1813, Shenewa was divided into 11 districts. The districts encompassed the number of households necessary to raise a corps for the army and were administered by the army, with the exception of the capital district. Whilst suitable for administration of a state in a near permanent-state of war, as most Shenewan states had been prior to 1813, during the nearly century of peace that followed, it was this system of military-centric administration which paved the way for the warlords. Upon the Imperial restoration and reunification of the country in 1951, a separate system of districts was establish distinct from the armed forces.

Modern Shenewa is divided into 21 administrative divisions. Of these, three are Separate Metropolitan Districts (Taunge, Tueteha and Pakoura), one Separate Capital District (Wehanenepē), one Separate Autonomous District (Sumovafal region) and sixteen Districts. Each regular district administers a population of about 10 million inhabitants.

International Relations
Shenewan foreign policy's stated goal is the assurance of Shenewa's place as an agenda setter in Avalonia and the world more broadly (as opposed to nations who have the international agendas of other nations imposed on them). In its pursuit of this goal, the Shenewan diplomatic service identifies two "lower pillars" and a single "higher pillar". The two lower pillars being a decisive diplomatic player in the Ingonian and Central Avalonia. The higher pillar is, supported by its decisive role in Central Avalonia and around the Ingonian, to be decisive player in Avalonia as a whole. Once this higher pillar is achieved, it is believed that Shenewa will become an indispensable "agenda setting nation" in global affairs.

In the Ingonian, Shenewa has managed to secure a position as a key player as part of the (Ingonian Pact), with New Valentina, Ringerike and Sannlibo and by building on the so-called "partnership of brothers" (Keumoine: meha teha e nge tuekene) with Theyka, aiming to leverage cultural and economic ties to maximise Shenewan diplomatic influence. Through its position, Shenewa aims to facilitate free trade and stability in the Ingonian, both to secure its "eastern flank" from a security standpoint and to ensure continued economic growth, as a tool to promote internal stability and to build Shenewan influence. Shenewa is generally deemed to have achieved these goals in the Ingonian, although some scholars question how much of that is from their own efforts as opposed to simply being a consequence of global trends.

In Central Avalonia, the Shenewan diplomatic service assesses its success in securing the second "lower pillar" as limited. The region remains an "anarchic arena of competing states and alliances in which few can be identified as key players", as was stated in the foreign policy review of 2010. In other documents, the area was dubbed Shenewa's "gaping western flank, open to foreign influence and without key agenda drivers" (although some scholars have questioned the accuracy of this assessment). In this area, Osorra is viewed with particular suspicion and as unique problem, both due to its history of nuclear use (against Tilenno in 1982) and due to its more recent overthrow of the Tsar. Therefore, reducing Osorrai power and influence, in particular Osorrai capability to reacquire nuclear weapons, has been identified as a key goal in the region.

In the 1990s it was identified that there was a need to "build the soft power foundations of regional and global influence in order to facilitate more concrete diplomatic and security measures". In practice, what this meant was a Shenewan effort to improve public opinion and awareness of it, particularly in the developed world, and increase the acceptance of its semi-democratic government system. The first goal was to be achieved through a mix of measures, the most obvious of which was to encourage tourism to Shenewa (although the driving forces behind this policy were as much economic as diplomatic). There was also a concerted campaign to expand the number of Shenewan restaurants abroad. The second goal was to be achieved through support of monarchies globally and trying to raise the profile of some members of the Imperial family.

In 2010, membership of ECOSEAS was identified as a third "lower pillar". This was due to the role many members of ECOSEAS had played in supporting the SiWallqanqa monarchy during the civil war, aligning with Shenewan goals. It would also give Shenewa access to the single largest Avalonian economic bloc, allowing to use its position as "the gate between south and centre" as tool in Central Avalonia and to build influence with the great powers of southern Avalonia. However, some have argued this was a post-hoc rationalisation by the diplomatic service under pressure to pursue ECOSEAS membership for economic reasons. Regardless of the cause, membership of ECOSEAS became a key foreign policy objective of Shenewa, achieved in 2021.

Cultural influence on foreign policy
It has been noted that the key driver behind the initial outline of Shenewa's "pillar" based foreign policy (first adopted in 1976) is a perception of Shenewa's bloody history since 1500 as having been caused by lacking the capacity to be an "agenda setter" and thus being subject to the agenda's of other states. Thus, the pillars foreign policy is a way of avoiding a repeat of history. This understanding of history has been noted to be deeply flawed, not least because Artemian discovery of Avalonia merely intensified wars that were already fought between Shenewan states, rather than causing them.

Civil Service
The Shenewan Civil Service employs 4.4m people and has a budget equivalent to $20.116bn

Military
The military of Shenewa is the Imperial Armed Forces (Te Ope Teue Enepē in Keumoine). The commander-in-chief of the Shenewan Armed Forces is the Emperor. Since the Constitution Riots of 1967, the Shenewan Armed Forces have been all-volunteer. It is made up of three branches: the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The Imperial Armed Forces are optimised for operations in Central Avalonia, principally Shenewa and its near-abroad, and the Ingonian, possessing limited expeditionary capability outside of this area.

In times of war, the Gendarmerie fall under control of the Imperial Armed Forces however, they are separate in peacetime and receive their budget separately.

Private Military Contractors in Shenewa
Technically it is illegal for Shenewan citizens to take work as mercenaries. However, the wages offered as PMCs are enough to tempt many Imperial Army veterans into the line of work and provided the money keeps flowing into Shenewa government authorities are, for the most part, happy to let the practice continue. Following a scandal around this in 2009, a law was passed that veterans could not claim any of the benefits accorded to them if they lived outside of Shenewa. However, far from discouraging veterans working as PMCs, it has just meant that the companies they work for have created so-called "barrack cities", blocks of accommodation registered in the names of their employees and owned by subsidiary companies.

Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
Law enforcement in Shenewa is the responsibility of two different and sometimes competing organisations, the Imperial Gendarmerie and the National Police. The National Police are responsible for much of the day-to-day policing and border control of Shenewa and are answerable to the elected Prime Minister. The Imperial Gendarmerie are most visible in their roles as riot control, police tactical units and Shenewa's border security force. However, they also contain the Directory for Special Investigations (DSI), Shenewa's domestic secret intelligence agency.

Visas and immigration
In an effort to increase Shenewa's attractiveness as a destination for international tourism, Shenewa has signed agreements with a number of countries giving their citizens the right to travel in Shenewa visa free for up to 60 days in every 365 day period.

Political System
Shenewa is a unitary state. Executive power in Shenewa is split between the Emperor and his so called "Imperial Council" and the Prime Minister and his "People's Council". This arrangement came out of the Constitution Riots in 1967, prior to which all ministers were appointed by the Emperor, with elections being merely advisory. The Imperial Council consists of ministers appointed by the Emperor and is in control of defence, the gendarmerie, foreign policy and intelligence. The People's Council is headed by the elected Prime Minister, who also represents it on the Imperial Council. It is responsible for a variety of areas of government but most importantly it sets the budget. Legislative power in Shenewa is held by the Huihuinge Tengetē (lit: People's Assembly) but all legislation must be ratified by the Emperor before it enters into force. Any legislation which receives less than 80% of members' vote in favour can be vetoed by the Emperor.

Legislation is typically proposed either through a "Popular Writ", a legislative proposal proposed by a member of the Huihuinge Tengetē (typically the Prime Minister). More rarely, it can be proposed through an "Imperial Writ", a proposal from the Emperor to the Huihuinge Tengetē.

Shenewan Prime Ministers are in office for 6 years. The Huihuinge Tengetē is elected for 4 years.

The Emperor and Imperial family
In Shenewa, the Emperor is both the head of state and a figurehead.

Whilst the Imperial family are of Itlatonkitlan descent and speak the language in private, in most of their public appearances they speak keumoine. In addition, all members of the Imperial family have a private name and their Imperial name. Their Imperial name is keumoine and is given to them when they are first officially revealed to the public, normally at the age of six. People who marry into the Imperial family are also required to take an Imperial name. This tradition began when the first emperor took the name Ēreheme, meaning "father of a mighty nation", when he unified Shenewa. There has only been one instance of an Emperor having two Imperial names, this being Emperor Hehone. Initially, he had been known as Renga but upon the conclusion of the Imperial civil war, he took on the name "Hehone", meaning healer in Keumoine.

Emperors since 1813
In historical convention, the emperors of Shenewa are divided into two dynasties which roughly correspond with the two imperial periods. The first dynasty, the Toe or warrior dynasty, are those emperors descended from Kekoe, the brother of Ēreheme I. This dynasty lasts until Temenua's assassination in 1934 and the passing of the throne to his brother Hehone. The emperors from Hehone onwards are part of the Whekeore, or healing, dynasty.

Toe Dynasty Whekeore Dynasty
 * Ēreheme I, reigned 1813-1815 (2 years). Died following a riding accident whilst touring the empire.
 * Kekoe, reigned 1815-1828 (13 years). Brother of Ēreheme I.
 * Toenua, reigned 1828-1859 (31 years).
 * Hohepe, reigned 1859-1878 (19 years).
 * Keaēreha, reigned 1878-1905 (27 years).
 * Roamete, reigned 1905-1909 (11 years). Died in childbirth.
 * Temenua, reigned 1909-1934 (25 years). Took to the throne aged 6, thought to have been assassinated.
 * Hehone, 1934-1966 (32 years). Brother of Temenua.
 * Keoue, 1966-1994 (28 years).
 * Keiwheketare, 1994-2016 (22 years).


 * Ēreheme II, 2016-present (7 years).

The Unity Party
The Unity Party is a rightmost party in Shenewan politics. They are ardently monarchist, maintaining that Shenewa was brought into being as a country by the first emperor and cannot exist without an emperor. They typically push for more power for the emperor within Shenewa's constitution and it has been alleged that they are secretly supported by the emperor financially, which would be illegal under the constitution.

The Comrades of 1967 Party
The Comrades of 1967 are the leftmost party in Shenewan politics. Naming themselves after the 1967 riots which forced liberalisation in Shenewa, they stand for continued liberalisation and reform in Shenewa, typically towards a constitutional monarchy. There have been allegations of republicanism in the party. Whilst not strictly speaking illegal in Shenewa, the status of the monarchy means that republicanism is typically a taboo subject in Shenewa.

Populations
Keumoine: A polynesian people who migrated to the territory of modern day Shenewa in the 1st millenium BCE.

Atēme: Whilst the name means "Artemians" in Keumoine, it is used to describe people of mixed Shenewan-Artemian descent in Shenewa. As such, it is a broad category and in practice only applies to people who speak an Artemian language, or a dialect of it more commonly, as their mother tongue. These communities are normally found in the cities on the coast and are normally functionally bilingual. This is distinct from the Keumoine word for Artemians, "Awatu", from "Te awa utu", literally the mercenary tribe/people. Consequently, the traditional name for Artemia was "Shenue o te awatu" (literally "land of the mercenary people"). However, in modern times this has fallen out of favour for the shorter import from Typsprek "atēmai'a".

Sumovafal: Name means "people of the south". A Tavik people who migrated south in the 1st millenium CE and settled in the area of modern north western New Valentina and parts of north eastern Shenewa. In Keumoine known as "te awai kenekē", literally "the ginger people", so named for the prevalence of the hair colour among them. Historically were semi-nomadic animal herders. In the pre-modern period, many north eastern towns and cities in Shenewa had a Sumovafal district which served as permanent bases for the clans and families who controlled the north-south trade the Sumovafal conducted.


 * Descendents of the peoples who inhabited the coasts before the arrival of the Keumoine. Small numbers can still be found along the coast but the bulk of the population live in the centre and north of the country. Despite being classed as a single ethno-linguistic group by the Shenewan government, linguists have identified three distinct dialects, coastal (the simplest of the three and with the most Keumoine loanwords), central and Tehuilotl.


 * Located in the south east Shenewa, related to the Sidr people of Baileneu Ma.


 * Located in the south west of Shenewa, also related to the Sidr people of Baileneu Ma.


 * Located in the west of Shenewa.


 * Live in the far north west of the country.

Diaspora
There is are noticeable Shenewan communities in Theyka and New Valentina. In New Valentina, the Shenewan community tends to be concentrated in the north and west of the country, where it was easier to immigrate to in the early 1900s. In Theyka, the Shenewan immigrant community established large numbers of Shenewan restaurants, which achieved popularity as takeaway restaurants. Famous members of the Shenewan diaspora include the musician Keuthe, famous for her album VIBE.

Urban Areas
The Shenewan capital, known as Wehanenepē in Keumoine, was originally called Texotlitlan, literally the crystal city, until Emperor Ēreheme I renamed it Wehanenepē or "Place of Emperors".

Religions
Most religions practice in Shenewa are a form of polytheistic local religion. Typically the term "Shenewan polytheism" is used to refer to local religions practiced by groups other than the Keumoine and Sumovafal.

Languages
Shenewa is home to numerous language communities. Since the arrival of the Keumoine, the keumoine language has been the lingua franca across much of Shenewa and is taught in schools across the country.

Sound changes, Theykan-Keumoine.

a-e

oa-oi

wh-sh

i-a

m-n

The Sumofaval people speak a Tavic language

Education
Education is compulsory in Shenewa between the ages of 6 and 14. It is typically delivered in the local majority language, with Keumoine as a compulsory second language for the entire length of a pupil's education.

Healthcare
The Shenewan government spends the equivalent of $82bn a year on healthcare. The costs of at least part of a patient's healthcare is to be provided by the patient, either through up-front payment or private insurance. However, a certain amount of their healthcare costs are reimbursed by the state depending on a variety of factors.

Age structure
Shenewa has a relatively young population, with 65% of it being under the age of 40.

Cuisine
A traditional dish across much of Shenewa is hupe enge pēpeke (literally "crab shell soup"), a soup made with the (Lumis) King Prawn as a key flavour ingredient. Typically this is served in crab shells or, more commonly in modern times, a bowl shaped and decorated to resemble crab shell. Another traditional dish from the country's south west is spiced and fried water buffalo liver, typically served in dumplings. Across the country's lowlands, crocodile was commonly eaten historically. However, as the Shenewan population has grown and the culling of crocodiles correspondingly increased, the animals have become endangered and been placed under government protection, meaning the consumption of crocodile meat has become substantially less common.

Personifications of Shenewa
Historically, Shenewa has always been a region united by its common geography rather than any single culture or ancient empire to which it traces its roots. Consequently, in its current form as a united state, Shenewan national identity and the Imperial family are difficult to separate. Most statues of the Shenewa personified depict her with an arm outstretched holding a wreath crown, symbolically representing the link between the emperors and Shenewa itself. In her more bellicose form, Shenewa is depected blowing a trumpet, symbolically calling Shenewans to war. This symbology is more popular with the Shenewan left wing, who tend to present Shenewan national identity in terms of a region united against (typically Artemian) invaders rather than united beneath an emperor. During the Imperial War of Restoration, this symbol was frequently used by the Imperial faction, although it has since reverted to its republican roots. In its republican guise, this personification of Shenewa is typically depicted without a crown in hand.

This personification is sometimes seen as controversial in Shenewan intellectual circles, with many arguing that Shenewa as she is often personified, as an angel, is very much an Artemian motif.

Railways
For much of Shenewa’s existence, its principal means of transport across the country was the rivers that cross the entire country. So, when railways started to be built in the 19th century, they were not built as independent forms of infrastructure but rather to link and build on the natural infrastructure in Shenewa. This has continued to be the basis of Shenewa rail infrastructure planning. High speed rail lines, completed in 2017 and 2016 respectively, connect the coastal cities to each other and to the capital and connect Shenewa’s rivers where cargo can be shifted from rail to ships. Slower rail lines connect areas of Shenewa further away from its main rivers to them.

Ports
The largest trade port in Shenewa is Taunge, closely followed by Pakoura. Indeed, Pakoura's status as modern Shenewa's current financial capital finds its roots in the city's insurance industry which primarily existed to ensure shipping out of it.

Economy
Shenewa is a developing, upper middle income market economy. However, it is still marked by high levels of income inequality across the country, with its highlands further inland typically being a great deal poorer than the coasts. As a developing economy, the Shenewan services sector is still a relatively small part of the economy, just 48%, whilst industry and agriculture make up 38% and 14% respectively. The largest employer is the industrial sector, at 35% of the labour force, with 34% employed by the service sector and 31% working in agriculture.

Currency
Shenewa's currency is the Noshawa. This name's origin is the keumoine "noshata harawa", literally meaning "silver ring", derived from the keumoine practice of carrying the precious metals they used as currency in the form of rings on their hands. With their spread either by settlement or as traders across the entire area of modern day Shenewa, these rings became a recognised form of currency across the area. Gradually, the term "noshata harawa" was corrupted as it was used by non-keumoine speakers, leading to the name "noshawa". As a nod to their origins, modern noshawa coins continue to have holes in their centre, although they are no longer rings. The symbol used to denote the Shenewan Noshawa is ¥. It is derived from the representation of the Emperor's crown that was stamped on the first Emperor's noshawa coins.

As of December 2022, $1 was worth ¥374

Government Budget
The Shenewan government budget is equivalent to $236.085bn each year, or around 19.6% of GDP. To avoid excessive debt, the state has a policy of not running a budgetary deficit that will increase national debt to more than 50% of projected GDP 5 years from the date on which the budget is set (typically assuming conservative rates of growth of 3% a year). The idea behind this policy was to cap the government deficit at an amount which would be offset by economic growth. This was outlined in an Imperial writ proposed parliament in 2003 and passed later that year. As of 2005, the Prime Minister and his government can spend in excess of this amount. However, this additional spending needs to be approved by Parliament and is subject to a review every 3 years. Broken down by individual government department, state spending is distributed as follows:

Reserves
The Shenewan government maintains $50.902bn in reserves. These reserves are primarily held in Zahavan Drachma, Chezzetcooker Livres and Kayan Won. However, $12bn of these reserves are held in a sovereign wealth fund.

Agriculture
Agriculture is still a relatively large part of the Shenewan economy. Much of this value is derived from the large, industrial scale farms producing cash crops such as tobacco and sugarcane. However, there is still a large amount of production of foodstuffs such as rice both for domestic consumption and export. This production is less prone to domination by large farms and instead the production is largely by small land-owners. The government has attempted to counter the resulting inefficiency by establishing the (insert company name here). This is a state run and backed corporation which buys the agricultural produce of these small scale farmers and then sells them on at prices which mean it only breaks even rather than turning a profit. Whilst the idea behind this company was to mitigate some of the weaknesses in Shenewan agriculture caused by small farms and ensure small-scale farmers had enough money to expand and increase the sophistication of their farms, it is questionable if it has achieved this.

Whilst historically and in modern Shenewa the primary staple crop of much of the country is rice, in the south west the staple crop has remained maize.

Across Shenewa, the animals most often kept are chicken and pigs, due to their relatively small demands on space. However, there are some buffalo kept in Shenewa, both as beasts of burden and for meat and milk.

46% of Shenewa's territory is cultivated.

Animal Husbandry
The primary animals kept and bred for food in Shenewa historically are chickens and pigs. This continues to hold true in the modern day, with there being 57 million pigs and 4 billion chickens in Shenewa (with chickens being kept both in rural areas and in the suburbs of many cities).

Water buffalo have historically been kept in Shenewa primarily for their milk and as beasts of burden. However, in the modern day their role as beasts of burden has declined with the increase in the mechanisation of Shenewan agriculture. In the modern day, there are 3,711,000 buffalo kept in Shenewa, largely for purposes of dairy and meat.

Aquaculture
Shenewa also possesses a large fisheries industry, mainly farming fish and shrimp, with catching of wild fish having been in decline since the 90s. This decline is mostly explained by the depletion of stocks and increasing government legislation to safeguard endangered species.

Energy
Shenewa is an energy importer, possessing only a small amount of oil and no domestic sources of gas or coal. Whilst there have been attempts to draw more energy from sustainable, domestic sources such as hydropower and windfarms, these are still only sufficient for a small part of Shenewa's energy consumption (c. 14%). Per capita, Shenewa consumes 2,670 kWh each year.

Oil Production
Shenewa has proven reserves of 455 million barrels of oil and produces 33,000 barrels a day on average.

Automotive Industry
Shenewa's automotive industry, rather than producing whole vehicles, mainly focuses on producing parts for foreign companies. An example of this is the Aristoi Automotive Group factories in Shenewa. These factories produce parts which are then exported to Zahava where Zahavan factories assemble the cars and fit the more complicated components which are not manufactured in Shenewa. However, in 2013, Aristoi Commercial Group opened the first factory which was going to make vehicles entirely manufactured and assembled in Shenewa. Building on this, Aristoi recently opened another factory to produce 4x4s and other offroading cars in Shenewa. Again, these vehicles would be entirely manufactured and assembled in Shenewa.

Shenewa also has a substantial domestic motorbike industry, producing largely small bikes designed for cities.

Fertiliser Production
Shenewa has a sizeable fertiliser production industry, producing 5,035,000 tons in 2022. However, despite this it still imports more than half the fertilisers used in its agricultural sector, using 10,410,000 tons each year.

Defence Industry
Shenewa's defence industry is a notable part of its manufacturing base due to the government's preference for manufacturing even foreign designed equipment domestically when possible, a preference fuelled by a desire to take advantage of comparatively lower labour costs in Shenewa. However, Shenewa's defence industry still has substantial limitations on the complexity of what it can produce. This is evidenced by the example of Shenewan manufactured versions of the Ringeriker m/85 ATGM. Whilst nominally the same in its capabilities, Shenewan manufactured missiles are notably less reliable in their precision than Ringerike manufactured missiles. Consequently, for many complex systems (aircraft radars, precision munitions etc.) Shenewa remains reliant on imports.

A number of foreign defence companies have subsidiaries in Shenewa, notably Taumata Land Systems and Sannsystems AB.

Shipbuilding
Shenewa has a reasonably large shipbuilding industry, in no small part due to its prominence in the Ingonian carrying trade. For the most part, Shenewan shipyards specialise in the manufacture of bulk river freighters and shallow hulled sea freighters for use in the Ingonian and Alansoan Bay. However, there are larger shipyards which take advantage of lower labour costs in Shenewa to manufacture larger freighters for export at competitive prices. In recent years, Shenwan shipyards have become the main suppliers of civilian freight in Theyka. Many of the hulls for Imperial Navy ships are built in Shenewan shipyards however the complex systems housed within them are almost all imported.

In 2022, Shenewa produced 1,836,000 tons of shipping. The two largest shipbuilding companies in Shenewa are Weke Corporation, headquartered in Tonēpo, and Mengo Nua Industries, headquartered in Taunge.

Mining
Shenewa's has some deposits of silver, copper and some rare earths.

Carrying trade
Whilst it no longer composes as large a part of the Shenewan economy as in times past, Shenewa is still a significant player in the shipping trade in and around the Ingonian. Unlike most surrounding nations, much of Shenewa's shipping fleet is composed of shallow-hulled freighters, better able to travel up the rivers of central Avalonia. Combined with its relatively loose laws around the sector, this has made Shenewa a major middle man for trade arriving on Avalonia's eastern coast to be transported to the rest of the continent, as well as goods from inner Avalonia being transported to Shenewa's coast for shipping onwards.

Tourism
The area around Lake Tsohtooh has long been a popular destination for domestic tourism. There have been efforts recently to attract more international tourism to the area and across Shenewa more generally. A major breakthrough in these efforts was made in 2020 when Hararei Entertainment announced its intent to build a theme park outside Pakoura.

Labour Abroad
The export of labour, particularly seasonal labour, is a growing part of the Shenewan economy. Shenewans who work abroad in their wealthier neighbours and send money back to Shenewa have been an important source of additional income for many families in Shenewa, especially in the poorer south west. A notable example is Shenewan seasonal labour in Theyka, typically employed in the agricultural and services (specifically tourism) sectors.

New Valentina
Shenewa imports large amounts of natural gas and industrial machinery from New Valentina. It also used to import large amounts of steel from New Valentina. However, in recent years this has declined as Shenewan industry has increasingly taken to importing cheaper Kodeshi steel.

Kodeshia
Shenewan trade with Kodeshia has increased greatly in the past two decades as Shenewa has industrialised. As of 2022, Kodeshia was the single largest supplier of the coal, steel and fertilisers imported by Shenewa.

Theyka
Theyka is a major destination for export of Shenewan manufactured goods. Shenewa imports large amounts of renewable energy production machinery from Theyka, as well as other infrastructure related goods.