Gardarike

Gardarike (: Garðaríki), officially the Gardic State is a sovereign state located in central Artemia. It borders Thesparos to the south and Astor to the south-east. Gardarike's northern coast follows the Bolungar Gulf which faces the Boreal Sea. Gardarike is a young state in Artemian history, only unified around the turn of the twentieth century largely through the actions of the Gardic statesman Johann Malari. The name Gardarike literally translates to English as "The state of walled cities" referring to the multiple formerly independent city states and principalities that compose modern day Gardarike.

Arrival of Norse settlers
The written history of Gardarike begins in the early 9th century AD with the testimony of the Norse explorer Fafnir Wolftooth in the Saga of Fafnir Wolftooth. The Saga describes the initial discovery of the Silfra river, the second voyage in which he made contact with native finnic peoples and documented the coastline, and the third voyage and subsequent waves of norse settlement to the region. A combination of factors in the Norse homeland and a recent calamity among the Finnic peoples meant that large numbers of Norse settlers could occupy relatively depopulated land along the banks of the river Silfra and its navigable tributaries.

City state era
Having established themselves in a vast fertile steppe region in the aftermath of the calamity, the settler population grew rapidly, and trading post along the Silfra river grew into cities which were governed by local chieftains and served farms in the local area.

Reformation
Having mostly adopted Orthodox christianity, the reformation resulted in extreme political violence between different city states and principalities as they adopted protestant beliefs. The bloody civil war ended with the treaty of Kaup in 1656.

Climate
Gardarike can be roughly separated into two climate zones. Northern Gardarike has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc), with short but warm summers; and long but very cold winters. In contrast, central and southern Gardarike has a hemiboreal climate (Köppen Dfb) with long and warm summers while the winters are cold but short.

Vegetation


Gardarike is predominantly located in the Hemiboreal zone, the area where the boreal zone and the temperate zone meet. This gives Gardarike a rather diverse native forests combining temperate zone trees such as maples, beeches, oaks and elms with boreal trees such as pines, larches, spruces, birches and aspens. One thousand years of human habitation has left little of the original forests intact however. Most of the formerly forested areas, particularly in the south, have been turned into farmland.

Government
Gardarike has a parliamentary system of representative democracy. Its government is composed of three branches: The legislature known as the Landsthing, the judiciary and the executive cabinet. Gardarike's head of government and head of state is the Premier, elected by the Landsthing.

Military
The military of Gardarike is a conscripted force numbering approximately 1.8 million personnel.

The military is divided into two branches, the Army and the Air Army. Gardarike, being a virtually landlocked country, has no naval forces, it relies instead on a coast guard for its maritime defence.

The Gardic constitution requires every cabinet to have a position of Defence Minister, and in addition the position of Defence Minister must be filled by a member of the military that has been selected by the Gardic Army High-command.

Critics and supporters alike have referred to the Gardic military establishment as a form of "Deep State" which operates largely independently of the civilian government and establishes its own policy. Since the foundation of the Gardic Army it has on two occasions staged coups against the government. Supporters of the military have suggested that the military forms as a de-facto check on government power and that it prevents anti-johannist elements from gaining a foothold in the Gardic political establishments. Critics have called the military a threat to Gardic democracy and an archaic or even illegitimate political institution.

Resources
Gardarike has (probably) the largest natural gas reserves in Anterra, with an estimated 42,000 cubic kilometres of the stuff buried under the permafrost in the north.

Not much else tho.

Agriculture
Gardarike has historically been, and continues to be, a major producer and exporter of agricultural goods. Farming has been a cornerstone of Gardic culture, the flag of Gardarike represents the silfra river running through fields of grain.

Cereals are the predominant crop in Gardarike, particularly Rye, which is used to make Gardic Whiskey. Other agricultural products widely produced include root vegetables like potatoes and turnips; oilseeds such as flaxseed, sunflower seeds and rapeseed; fibres such as hemp and wool; fruits including apples, raspberries, peaches and cherries; meats like pork, poultry, lamb and beef; and dairy products such as cheese and milk.

In addition, Gardarike is a major producer of lumber and wood pulp.

Manufacturing
Gardarike's manufacturing sector is diverse and large, making up 36% of GDP. The characteristics of the country has resulted in a manufacturing sector that specialises in paper making, heavy duty vehicles and energy intensive industries.

Energy Production
Electricity by source in 2016:

Natural Gas: 59% Hydroelectricity: 17% Nuclear power: 15% Peat, wood and other biomass: 7% Other: 2%