Flag: TBD
Nation Name (long): The Qaletian Trade Federation
Nation Name (short): Qaletia
Motto:
National Animal: Magpie
National Flower/Plant: Juliet Rose
National Anthem:
Capitol: Qal-Kesh
Largest City: Qal-Zaa
Demonym: Qaletian
Language: Staynish
Species: Human 52%, Elf 26%, Vulpine 22%, Other 2%
Population: 7,682,154
Government type: Mercantile Oligarchy
Leader(s): Grand Dauphine Ciel Kesh
Legislature: Noble Council (Upper Body)
People’s Assembly (Lower Body)
Formation: United in 1630
Total GDP: $352,572,457,830
GDP per capita: $45,895
Calling Code: 360
ISO 3166 code: QL, QAL
Internet TLD: .ql
Historical Summary: In 1580, Vessarlian sent an expedition through the interior of Gondwana in order to establish a colony on the east coast. The purposes of this colony were to facilitate trade with nations in the east of Gondwana and those in the Concordian Ocean, as well as to eventually expand west to unite with ‘metropolitan’ Vessarlian.
The journey took several months, but eventually the group arrived on the coast, founding the small settlement of ‘Kesh’; this was to be used as the launching point for any early trade missions and further expansion.
Over the next few years the colony grew in both population and land, with expansion into the lush, fertile lands surrounding Kesh, which would quickly become the colony’s main source of food, far outpacing aid sent from Vessarlian. The colonial governance also focused on coastal expansion in order to establish trade posts and naval dockyards.
The wealth of the colony quickly grew due to the lucrative trade routes and natural resources located in the area. A well equipped naval force was built in order to protect against piracy, and the sailors aboard these vessels soon became veterans of naval conflict following years of a guerilla-style naval conflict with local pirates.
In the early 1620’s, much of Vessarlian was plagued by a string of droughts, followed by torrential rain and flooding. This phenomenon lasted for almost four years, and led to both civil and political unrest; this is what we now know as the ‘Great Grain Crisis’. The crisis sparked mass protests across the nation, as well as a massive food riot in central Rocaster which led to the storming of the royal palace by large groups of rioters. The king was unable to fix the issues, and was eventually forced to abdicate in mid 1624.
The chaos engulfing Vessarlian meant that monetary and food aid to the colony had all but ceased, and it became clear to the colonial governance that remaining under the authority of Vessarlian was more of a liability than a benefit. It was obvious that the leadership in Vessarlian had lost interest in the colony, and had all but forgotten about it and their plan to expand east to unite with the colony. The only time the Vessarlan administration showed interest in the colony was when it demanded large payments of money and natural resources to help the Vessarlan economy.
There was no better opportunity for the colony to leave Vessarlian, thus, on the 25th April 1629, the colony declared independence, forming the ‘Republic of Qaletia’.
The Qaletian people celebrated, overjoyed to finally be free from their overlords. The former colonial governance took charge of the republic, forming the ‘Grand Council of the Republic’.
However, the people did not trust this Grand Council, and desired new leaders, not those from the previous colonial administration whom they saw as Vessarlan sympathizers. Protests soon began across the republic, calling for new leadership, and only four months after its inception, the council was dissolved, and it’s members fled. This action left a massive power vacuum in Qaletia, leading to mass civil unrest which threatened to destabilize and collapse the young nation.
The most powerful mercantile family from each of the five major settlements (families = Kesh, Zaa, Tei, Strata and Veisa), who were now by far the most powerful people in Qaletia, met on the 1st January 1630 in Kesh to discuss the future of the nation. After three months of negotiations, they agreed on a new constitution for Qaletia.
The constitution declared the nation to be formally known as the ‘Qaletian Trade Federation’. The country was to be governed by a ‘Noble Council’ made up of representatives from each of the five families, this council must then select and vote unanimously for one of its members to become ‘Grand Dauphin of Qaletia’ for a term of 15 years.
In 1963 the Noble Council caved to pressure from democratic activists, and allowed for the creation of the People’s Assembly, an elected lower house. However, the assembly has very little power, and makes the nation democratic in name only. The assembly is able to propose and pass legislation, but any passed bills still require the consent of the Noble Council, meaning that Qaletia still remains a Mercantile Oligarchy.
Historical Note - Each of the five major settlements were named after the largest mercantile dynasty within them, and ‘Qal’ was added before each of the city names to display the unity of the families.
Map: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/the_east_pacific/download/file.php?id=603902
Note - The striped area (with Qal-Veisa) is territory disputed by Vessarlian and Qaletia.