Prestonia

Prestonia, formally the Prestonian Republic ( Poblacht na hPreastún) is a  located in northern Artemia bordering Ringerike. Comprised of 32 counties, its population is approximately 44 million with the national capital situated at Hudson.

Present-day Prestonia was settled by early hunter-gatherers as early as 3500 BCE; its modern history dates to the arrival of Goidelic tribes from around 400 CE. The Goidelics began a slow process of expansion and enculturation of the preexisting peoples, from small coastal settlements to petty kingdoms arising in about 800 CE and unifying into the present-day polity of Prestonia in 1471, before a bloody civil war in 1865-1868 led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the proclamation of a Republic.

Prehistory
The earliest evidence of human habitation in present-day Prestonia dates to approximately 3500 BCE, as initially discovered in archaeological sites around the village of Maryvale. The Maryvale Culture appears to have been seminomadic hunter-gatherers, pursuing large game such as reindeer and caribou and utilizing their bones and hides in the construction of temporary shelter. Little is known of their beliefs or material culture owing to a lack of a written communication system; discoveries of grave goods suggest complex beliefs about the nature of the afterlife. Changing climates and the development of agriculture from around 1500 BCE led to a more sedentary culture, which has been dubbed the pre-Prestonian by anthropologists, though genetically distinct from the Goidelic peoples which make up present-day Prestonia.

Goidelic Arrival
Goidelic peoples began arriving in Prestonia from the Tiperyn Isles around 400 CE, initially setting up small encampments and settlements along the coasts before gradually expanding inland. Contact with the native peoples ranged from mutual commerce to open hostility, though alliances between groups of settlers and natives against other such groups were not uncommon. By the 7th century CE intermarriage appears to have become common enough that the native culture was effectively sublimated into the Goidelic, though the latter adopted many of the religious and cultural practices of the former.

Civil War and Contemporary Prestonia
Industrialization in Prestonia began in the 1850s and brought with it social and political upheaval on a scale unprecedented in the Kingdom's modern history. Mass movement of free laborers from their ancestral agricultural estates into manufacturing centers led to soaring population in cities such as Hudson, Kildare and Ennisport, with many living in squalor on meager factory wages. The political establishment, essentially unchanged since the late 15th century, was ill-equipped to address the social changes of industrialization; political power was concentrated in the Crown and landed nobility, whose agricultural estates had historically been the chief economic driver of the Kingdom. Cities and market towns, by contrast, received little if any political representation. Burghers, merchants and working-class laborers were excluded from political life entirely.

Petitions circulated by wealthy industrialists and merchants demanding a political voice were ignored; pressured by the lords of the estates, who feared losing their human capital, the Crown issued a decree in 1861 forbidding tenant farmers from abandoning their tenancies without permission of their landlord. This restriction on free movement produced immediate backlash and led to the formation of the League of Patriots, a broad-based coalition of industrialists, merchants and disenfranchised working-class labor campaigning for reform. Unrest grew and, in 1865, delegates representing all 32 of Prestonia's counties published the Twelve Demands, vowing to resolve the matter by force of arms if not heeded.

Declared traitors by the Crown, the League's hastily-raised Provisional Republican Army marched on the Royalist fort at Ballymena, which surrendered without a shot and joined the Republican cause. The following three years would see bloody warfare characterized by scorched-earth tactics and other atrocities committed by both sides, before Republican victory was secured at the Battle of Kinsale during which King Stephen IV was captured, along with the rest of the royal family, and summarily hanged. The Republic was duly declared on 17 June 1868, but faced immediate pressures of poor harvest and economic destruction from three years of warfare; it would be another two decades until economic fortunes recovered to prewar levels.

The early Republic was characterized by a system, owing to the League's big-tent coalition. The 1868 Constitution provided for universal male suffrage, press and religious freedom, and free ownership of property following land reform which saw the feudal holdings of the former nobility broken up. This system would last until the 1960s, when a series of activist movements over civil rights, particularly women's suffrage, led to a split in the League and its eventual dissolution in 1971. Women's suffrage was approved by amendment to the Constitution that same year.

Geography and Climate
Prestonia's geography, and hence its climate, is dominated by a belt of mountains, the Arran Range, which roughly bisect the country running north to south. These are higher in the northern areas of the country, descending into rolling hills not more than 1000 meters in elevation in the southerly portions. The geography of the non-mountainous regions is heavily influenced by Ice Age glaciation, being mostly flat with some rolling hills and numerous lakes and bogs.

Climate is classified as (Koppen type Dfb) below the Boreal Circle with short, cool summers and long, very cold winters; the western portions of the country tend to receive slightly less precipitation due to the  created by the mountains, and tend to be somewhat warmer overall owing to the moderating effects of the Balearic Sea. The northern third of the country, lying above the Boreal Circle, experiences a subarctic climate (Koppen type Dfd) with winter temperatures dipping well below freezing and summer temps rarely exceeding 10 degrees Celsius.

Politics
The politics of Prestonia take place in the framework of a with indirect elections for President as head of state, and Taoiseach as head of government. A unicameral legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of 320 representatives called Teachtaí ("assemblymen", singular Teachta) who sit for terms of 3 years. Teachtaí are apportioned on a mixed system, with 160 being fixed (5 per county) and the remaining 160 apportioned based on population and redistricted following the census, taken once every 10 years. The Oireachtas appoints from among its number a Taoiseach, who serves as head of government upon confirmation by the President and sits at the pleasure and confidence of the Oireachtas. The duties of the President beyond this are largely ceremonial, being the commander-in-chief of the Prestonian Defense Forces and convening and dissolving the Oireachtas as directed in the 1868 Constitution.

Prestonia is subdivided into 32 counties, which provide administrative and social services at a local level and are subordinate to the legislation of the Oireachtas and, ultimately, to the Constitution. These are overseen by an elected Ruiri (governor, lit. "over-king") and may feature either unicameral or bicameral assemblies which legislate on local issues. The Ruiri are, in addition to their executive duties as governors of counties, responsible for the election of the President to a single 6 year term. All elections in Prestonia are conducted by secret ballot along rules.

Law
Prestonian law is delineated in the 1868 Constitution, which declares itself "the supreme and final law of the Prestonian land and its people." The Constitution and its legal framework are broadly regarded as in nature, providing for a strong, independent judiciary at a county and federal level.

Foreign Affairs
For almost a century following the establishment of the Republic, Prestonia maintained a policy of in foreign affairs and as such did not take part in the Grand Campaigns or Great Kesh War during the early to mid 20th century. Its status during the former conflict led to allegations levied against multiple parties of using the Prestonian flag as a and  for merchant shipping; the torpedoing of legitimate Prestonian liner Armagh by a Tiperyn submarine in 1923 led to a general mobilization of Prestonian military forces and a diplomatic protest, though the matter was resolved without Prestonia's entry into the conflict.

Following the demise of the League of Patriots one-party system in 1971, Prestonian politics have tended to take a more collaborative view of international affairs which some observers have termed the end of Prestonian neutrality. The Republic acceded to the League of Free Nations as a full member in 1979 and in 1998 expressed its interest in joining the Pan-Artemian Coalition, eventually ratifying the Coalition treaty in 2002.

Beyond its supranational obligations, Prestonia has historically maintained strong relations with Brigantica and Airgialla with whom it shares a common cultural background; South Veikaia, Legantus, Modrovia and Vallis are also major trade partners. Relations with Tiperyn have historically been frosty, owing to the nations' disparate cultural and political backgrounds, as well as long-running disputes over economic control of their shared waters; while the two countries have never gone to war, skirmishes between commercial fishing and coast guard vessels are not uncommon. Following the 2018 election, which returned an Aontú majority, the government has expressed interest in with its historic rival.

Economy
Prestonia's economy is described as, and  in nature. With a Gross Domestic Product of $1.826 trillion, the Prestonian economy is the xth largest in Artemia and the world's xth largest overall. It benefits from a well-educated, highly-literate populace and a well-integrated network of transportation infrastructure.

Industrialization began in the 1850s and by the dawn of the 20th century Prestonia was considered a fully industrial society; in present day, manufacturing and industry continue to make up a plurality of the Republic's GDP though heavy industry has given way to extensive light manufacturing including, , and as chief industrial exports. Forestry and copper mining remain important industries in the northern portion of the country, though the latter has declined significantly from a peak in the 1940s. From the 1980s, a rapidly-growing tertiary sector has emerged centered around financial services and tourism, buoyed by Prestonia's international reputation as business-friendly and stable as well as growing exposure to and interest in Prestonian culture abroad.

Agriculture is the smallest economic sector in Prestonia and the Republic is a net importer of agricultural goods owing to its short growing season. Important crops include cereal grains, potatoes, cabbage and onions; lamb is the most commonly kept livestock. As a maritime nation Prestonia has historically relied on its fisheries for sustenance and export, and is considered by foreign observers to have the world's largest commercial fishing fleet per capita. Fishing rights and conflicting EEZs have occasionally led to strained relations with Tiperyn.

Public Works
Public works account for 31% of GDP as of 2020 and include responsible for provision of healthcare, electricity and municipal water services; the State Health Service operates at greatly reduced point-of-use cost on a sliding scale according to the income of the patient. Education is compulsory for ages 5-18 and is provided for by the state, though privately-operated schools and also exist.

Transportation
Transportation infrastructure is maintained by the Ministry of Transport, under the auspices of the Highway Board and the Rail Board for road and rail construction and maintenance respectively. Rail is the most popular form of transport with state-run PrestRail administering rolling stock for short, medium and long-haul passenger traffic and the National Freight Corporation carrying intermodal rolling stock. Approximately 47% of households own a personal automobile, one of the lowest rates in Artemia, though vehicle ownership has increased in recent years.

Air travel has historically been conducted through Aer Preastún, the flag carrier and formerly state-run airline of Prestonia. Following deregulation in 1998 a number of budget airlines have also arisen, serving domestic as well as short-hop international traffic.