Benagitia

The Principality of Benagitia (Veigeudic: Fürstentum Bennachatien), often Benagitia, is a small nation in West Artemia. It has stationed army units of various nations in its borders. It borders Veikaia to the west, Plot 109 to the east, and Mero-Curgovina to the south for a few miles.

It has a population of (286 000 + some more), and an area of 1940,60 km^2 (158 pop/km2).

Etymology
The name means roughly 'seven castles' in Veikan, as understood by Veigeudic speakers.

History
The valley provided good grounds for building castles, with accessible stone and lime and abundant wood. The various traditional forts would slowly be replaced by stone fortifications. The region became known as Minua Fino-Gatexa (lit.: five forts hill, retroactively also called Finogatia), in the late 12th century, for the five castles constructed in close proximity. In the same period, it became custom to construct homes with a stone ground floor and.

Independence
During the Veikan Civil War, Benagitia saw an large influx of Veikan refugees. From the start of the conflict, a steady flow of circa 600 people per week. By early 1975, 65000 people had crossed the border. Prince XX requested Mero-Curgovina and Plot 109 to aid by taking up families, as resources became strained in the nation. Although some assistance was provided, it was not enough for Benagitia as from 1976 on the stream picked up pace to 1400 and peaked with circa 3500 per week in early 1977. By this point, a humanitarian crisis was proclaimed, as the refugee camp threatened to outgrow the nations population. The prince decided to close the border for any refugee on the 3rd of June 1977, which has been controversial to this day. It is estimated that 145000 civilians from Veikaia of various ethnicities would end up crossing the border between 1972 and 1979, with the majority never returning.

Operation Anvil
On the 9th of November 1977, a skirmish broke out between Benagitian border patrol and an element of the Veikan PRF. A platoon of 39 soldiers under the command of lieutenant XXX invaded Benagitia against the commands of their superior. Moraler Hennin d'Ornans, a border guard stationed at X, contacted headquarters. Command ordered him to approach the platoon and summon them to return. When d'Ornans got into sight the Veikan soldiers opened fire, wounding him in his right shoulder.

Geography
Benagitia is located in a valley of the Phlache Krete. The main river is RIVER, which flows down into the LAKE.

Climate
The climate of Benagitia is continental, with the usual temperatures ranging from -6°C in winter and up to 23°C on summer. The temperatures tend to be stable within a season, with summer having more rainfall, while the winter sees significant snowfall. During high summer, the water level of RIVER reaches its max, which some years can threaten flooding of the settlements down the valley.

Government and Politics
Benagitia is a parliamentary democracy headed by a constitutional monarch, Prince XXX (Veikan: ?). Executive power is exercised by the prince and the cabinet, which consists of a set of ministries.

Legislative power lays with the NAME. This is an  of 41 members,  who are directly elected to five-year terms from seven constituencies. However, the reigning Prince retains substantial political authority, such as the power to dissolve the legislature, reject laws (even if they have passed the legislature), and propose laws of their own.

Provinces have an executive X, but local legislative decisions are made via NAME, a form of. The NAME is a yearly gathering where various articles are decided upon via a public non-secret voting system operating by majority rule. The articles can supplied by any national (even to NAMEs outside their province) via letter, whereafter they first go through a committee, the NAME, who verify the feasibility of the law. The NAME might deliberate with the suggester to reformulate the law.

Demographics
Natives of Benagitia are called Benagitan. They are registered separately from Veigeudics from outside the country.

Immigration
A large portion of the population are refugees from the Veikan Civil War. During the conflict, large tent camps were formed to house them. As the conflict endured, these grew to enormous size, to the point of food scarcity and severe strain on infrastructure. A portion of refugees were taken up by Mero-Curgovina, would continue on to other destinations, or would be transported to other nations. After the war, many would end up migrating away, but about 35 000 would remain. For these people, Tochibaro and Grotto saw significant expansion. These neighbourhoods are colloquially called XXX.

Security
Benagitia has officially no armed forces. The constitution forbids the creation of an army, or conscription of its civilians in foreign armies. To defend itself, it has to rely on foreign intervention. However, Benagitia police force has been equipped with military equipment to function as a national guard. Additionally, it has various institutions to train its population in fire arms and survival while not officially conscripting the population.

Police
To meet its security needs, it deploys an armed police force. The police has seen significant militarisation through the decades, which has had negative consequences on its regular functioning.