Republic of Segentova | Overview

Segentova

Segentova (French: [sɛʒeŋtɔv]), officially the Republic of Segentova (French: La Republique du Segentove) is a country located in The Western Isles. The country borders Littolyo to the west, the Alteran Republics to the east, the Central Canal-Authority to the south. The nation shares maritime borders with Dragao do mar to the west and Vancouvia to the north. Segentova covers --- km and has a population estimated to be somewhere around --- million. Segentova Operates as a constitutional, parliamentary and semi-presidential republic, the position of Chief of State effectively being the same as "President" in other Semi-Presidential systems. the capital and largest city is the city of Nouveau Toulon, which also serves as the main cultural and economic hub for the country, other main cities being Sergenne and Polaire.

The modern nation of Segnetova is a result of French colonialism during the Early modern period. What now constitutes the region of Segentova proper was colonized by France in the mid-16th-century, due to its strategic importance and central location, making it an ideal trading hub. The colony quickly came to be a safe haven for Huguenot-refugees fleeing the wars of religion and persecution by the French Crown. This eventually came to result in Hughenots making up a plurality of the nation by the middle of the 18th century, leading to tensions that ultimately came to cook over during the French Revolution. The result would be the declaration of independence in 1795. Segentova would not, however, be formally recognized as independent by any following French government until after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Following independence, Segentova was plagued by political instability for the first few decades of the 19th century, eventually resulting in revolts erupting nationwide in 1848which almost caused a civil war. The situation would eventually be diffused, and Constitutional Revisions were enacted to ease tensions.

Segentova has, from its turbulent origins in 18th and 19th-century revolutionary politics and frontier expansion in the following decades managed to maintain a relatively stable political climate. The country has since then grown to put its mark on the map as a country at the forefront in the fields of culture, trade, education, and diplomacy. The country maintains a robust economy fuelled by its sizeable primary and secondary industries. A large portion of Segentovans is found living outside the main urban areas, in smaller settlements. Many rural areas of the country are well connected, due to an extensive network of railways and roads. Community and Nation are vital pillars to the Segen identity, as such even many of the smallest villages in the country maintain active communal lives, centered around festivities, civic gatherings as well as religious happenings.

Segentova sees itself as an example for other nations to follow and hence maintains an active international presence in both trade and diplomacy. To this end, the nation generally wants to be on good terms with its neighbors and maintain strong alliances. Segentova is a member of (international organization(s)). Having much of its roots in colonialism and frontier-life, had lead to Segentova maintains a large and capable military, with an adequate capacity to perform power-projection regionally if need be. The main goal of the armed-forces remains the protection of the homeland, as such a citizen-army is maintained and conscription is actively enforced, and every able-bodied man is required to have served at least 18 months of active-service duty, whereupon they will be transferred to the reserve, Home-guard units to be called upon should the need arise, or for training-purposes.

Etymology

The name of Segentova is thought to be derived from the Segen Plain on which the capital, Nouveau Toulon, was erected. As such, the term "Segentove propre" or "Segentova proper" is oftentimes used to refer to the Capital and the immediately surrounding area, with the more peripheral areas often times being collectively referred to as "La Campagne" ("The Countryside") or diminutively "Le fôrét" ("The Forest"). The name countries name is generally attributed to Polish-Segentovan Polymath Jean Jankowski, Who is said to have suggested it during the first National Convention of 1814. The name is a combination of two elements; "Segen", is taken from the European Exonym for the original inhabitants of modern-day Segentova Proper, the Davari people who settled the area while it was under the Corinthusi Empire. The ending, comprising the Slavic suffix -ova, used in appellatives and proper names -ova also denotes ownership, chiefly of feminine nouns. It can be surmised that the name, when translated means something along the lines of Land of the Segen. Jankowski chose to, as he called it "Francophonise" the name by adding the middle-"T" and final "E" in the French version of the name. Some languages apply their regular translation of the suffix to the name, leading it to be rendered as Segentova in English and Segentavien in German.
Segentova is to this day probably one of the few countries in the world to have its name defined in its constitution, article one reading as follows;

Portrait of Jean Jankowski
c. 1810

The choice in name was, hence, at least partly political. While the capital would still remain Nouveau Nouveau Toulon, the new choice in name marked a clear break from the old colonial administration and setting the young nation up as its own distinct entity, something that was, with the fractured political climate at the time sorely needed.

A citizen of Segentova is formally referred to as "Segentovain(e)" "Segentovan", the appropriate Adjective version of this is "Segen", this is also the informal version of the demonym, used most commonly in everyday speech and informal writing.

History

Prehistory and Antiquity
The earliest archeological evidence suggesting a human presence within the area comprising modern-day Segentova has been attested to ---- BC, Putting them somewhere in the Mid-Late Neolithic period. early traces of metallurgy can be found in strata dating to around --- BC. Anthropologists have linked these works to what are believed to be early Ipachi people. The Ipachi have been known to have a strong presence in the area historically, before the arrival of the Segen. The southern area of the country is known to have had a strong presence of Kham people from the neighboring Magarati states, now part of Athara magarat.

Pre-European sources attest the origin of the Segen to the conquest of the land by the Corinthousi empire, under Aragonus the Great around the year 211 BCE, incorporating it into their empire as The Province of Maraienon. The Segen, or Davari as they refer to themselves, came to form a ruling class in the province, implementing their native Protacistic faith and constructing temples and monuments dedicated to their religion throughout the province. By all accounts Maraienon seems to have been very prosperous, being strategically located for trade, the lowland plains and hills being fertile, and the mountains harboring a great wealth of precious stones and metals. It was during this time that the province would become to be referred to with its byname; Sthegan (meaning "[The] Crossroads" in the original Davari). Maraienon remained spared from much of the instability that led to the collapse of the empire during the early 500s AD, siding with the crown. By the collapse of the empire in 523 AD, the province was abandoned, however, and left to its own devices. Infighting quickly broke out among the remaining Davarian governors, splitting them into various petty kingdoms and city-states. It would be during this time the Ipachi to the north rose up and overthrew the Davari lords, going back to their tribal roots. Following this, the southern Davari states would frequently raid the Ipachi tribes, taking loot mainly in the form of resources, but occasionally slaves.

Colonization by Europeans
By the mid 16. Century European fervor for exploration and colonization could have been said to have been at an all-time high. The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus only a generation earlier had made many curious, and many more thirsting for its riches. Spain had already secured a vast empire within South America, the Dutch and Portuguese were competing for exotic goods in the Indian ocean, and England and France had been hard at work establishing their own colonies to rival the Spanish. It's in this competitive political climate, then, that Francis 1. approved an expedition by seafarer and cartographer Jacob Georges Rémy into the Western Isles in search of new lands for the French crown in 1534. The Rémy-expedition was conducted concurrently with the voyage of Jaques Cartier and would leave Brest in May of that year, reaching the coast of Canada by early April. Rémy would, from there on be continuing south along the coast, eventually passing through the Drake passage in June/July of that year before entering the Isles after another two months at sea. The next year would be spent exploring the area, cartographing, and claiming various lands for the French Crown. in the summer of 1536, Rémy went to land near in what is nowadays Nouveau Toulon, claiming the land for France by erecting a 10m wood cross engraved with the phrase "Long Live the King of France". Upon exploring the immediate vicinity he encountered a Davari hunting party, whereupon he inquired the name of the area, (Sthegan) Which he understood as Segen, noting the land as such in his log and referring to the people he encountered as "Les Segens" (The Segens). Remy spent about two and a half years exploring the isles and is known to have traded with locals on several occasions, his travel-log is known probably one of the most important pieces of literature, even today, as it presents a relatively complete and in-depth look at the Isles right at the cusp of European imperialism. Until 1927 the original text was housed at the National archives in France. That year it was acquired by the National Museum of Segentova. During most of his travels, Rémy would be accompanied by a young Davari noblewoman, Ianna who would act as his translator and local guide. She had been picked up by the party during their stay in Maraienon and would go on to marry one of Rémys officers, Phillip Bocuse, settling with her French husband in Normandy upon their return. By late 1537 he concluded it was time to return home and deliver the news to the king. Remy would sail westward, rounding the Cape of good hope by May of 1538 and setting foot in France again on the 15, July 1538.

Having secured french trading rights in Sthegan, the French would return, however, in time and set up trading posts along the coast. the main one being the Trading post at Nouveau Toulon, which would form the basis for the colony of, Nouveau Toulon and eventual capital city of Segentova. Located at the mouth of the Segen river and overlooking the Nouveau Toulon bay, the city is strategically located to control the Karnali sea-basin. In the aftermath of the French wars of religion and the Edict of Fontainebleau, the Colony of Nouveau Toulon would see a stream of Huguenot immigrants flow in, eventually transforming the demographic makeup of the colony. Around its formation, in 1600 consisting only of a mere 2000 inhabitants, most of whom were merchants or otherwise engaged in maintaining the colony to around 100 000 in 1700, two-thirds of which were Huguenots, mainly from the southern regions of France and the Basque country.
This rapid growth ensured that land would be at a premium, forcing leading to a requirement for cheap and expedient housing, which would lead to wooden shanty-towns being erected. In some form or another, these would survive until the mid 20th century, only being replaced after sustaining severe damage from the nearby fighting during the First imperial war. The colonial economy was mainly focused on providing exotic goods for the French homeland, as such vast plantations sprung up around the city, growing cash crops. Requiring a cheap workforce, these plantations largely came to employ slaves of local, Davari, Ipachi, and Kirati origin that were acquired through native slave traders, mainly from the land itself, but also often from across the region. Local merchants would frequently trade with Natives for furs and other exotic goods not available in Europe. By all accounts, Nouveau Toulon was early on a vibrant and dynamic colonial city, typical of its time.

Independence and Expansion
Though the colony of Nouveau Toulon remained relatively unscathed by the seven years war, only suffering border skirmishes with local tribes that had aligned themselves with the British, the period after would prove to be more trying. As France lost most of its overseas colonies following the war, the colony became isolated and the economy collapsed, military presence became greatly diminished, leading to a greater number of disputes and skirmishes between settlers and natives. The Huguenot majority would during this period became increasingly zealous in their beliefs and suspicious of both the catholic upper class, as well as the colonial administration, who increasingly neglected the colony. This in turn lead to what are in retrospect called the "Premiers Migrations" (First Migrations). The first organized effort where large groups of settlers set out on their own and settled new areas on the frontier and outside of the colony, looking for a greater degree of self-rule, away from the catholic-dominated areas. During this time many new cities were founded, such as .... .

20th Century, Political Crises and War

Present Day

Geography

Segentova is probably one of the most geographically varied countries in the immediate region. Firstly, the country covers a total area of --- km2, of which x% is water (or ---km2). This means that Segentova is ranked x in area in The Western Isles. The country can be divided into four main climatic zones. Beginning with the south, which is

Geography
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Climate
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Enviorement and Ecology
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Demographics

Population
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Language
The second article of the Segentovan constitution defines the official language of the state (National Language) to be French. However little more is specified. This has lead to a peculiar situation where the official and working language in the country is effectively standard french, as regulated by the Académie française of Paris. This is not the variety of the language most commonly used on a day-to-day basis, where most people employ a more distinct variety of specifically Segentovan French. Segentovan French or Segen as it is colloquially referred to bears heavy influences from the Francitan, Occitan, and Basque languages. The areas where these languages originated, were the most protestant areas of France during the wars of religion, leading to most settlers to Segentova before Independence having origins from the South and South-West of France. situation of Diglossia can be observed throughout the country, where people will generally retort to the use of Segen in informal and familial situations, whereas they will generally use French in any official settings, such as interacting with the government, public speaking, etc. French is the main language of Education, as such Segen remains largely unregulated and undefined, leading to many situations where it can sometimes be difficult to tell what is Segen and what is not. Segen is generally more similar to North-American (Quebecois and Louisiana-French) than it is Standard, metropolitan French, and generally follows many of the similar innovations and anachronisms of these over standard French. In recent decades Segen French has also made several innovations of its own, following its relative state of isolation in The Western Isles and contact with other languages native to the region. This has lead mainly to the adoption of several loanwords and slang-terms.

Religion
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Race
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Largest Cities

Government and Politics

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Foreign Relations and Military

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Economy

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Culture

Segentova, like many other former settler-colonies, turned independent is in many ways a melting pot of cultures, from the way that language

Infrastructure

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Energy
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