Griffin Empire

Geography
Griffin Empire has a wide variety of topographical sets and natural landscapes. Large parts of the country were raised during several tectonic episodes the Prhöitsc Massif and the Massif Centralerneiska ranges were formed. These massifs delineate several basins such as the Sletterimaa basin in the southwest and the Kralingslæting basin in the north, the latter including several areas of particularly fertile ground. Various routes of natural passage, such as the Hermýna valley, allow easy communications. The Krigtscý mountains are much younger and have less eroded forms. At 4,810.45 metres above sea level, Wytdnimdjer is the highest point in the country. Although 60% of municipalities are classified as having seismic risks, these risks remain moderate.

The coastlines offer contrasting landscapes: mountain ranges, coastal cliffs and wide sandy plains. Griffin has an extensive river system consisting of the four major rivers Hermýna, the Jalina, the Vereberjsej, and the Drinsörwõt.

Climate
The Griffin territory is relatively large, so the climate is not uniform, giving rise to the following climate nuances:
 * The hot-summer climate is found along the Gulf of Incatato. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are mild and wet. Cities affected by this climate: Arlingleht, Mare Incatato, Rakozsit, Salta, Tevs and Zonpolah.
 * The humid subtropical climate is found in the Hermýna and Drinsörwõt's inland plains. Summers are hot and wet, while winters are cool and damp. Cities affected by this climate: Göldtsit, Hermýn, and Valensingslæting.Terrainmaptryingtofix0_-_Copy_-_Copy.png
 * The oceanic climate is found around the coasts of the Bay of Böskvitingarr and inland. Summers are pleasantly warm and wet, while winters are cool and damp. Cities affected by this climate: Anastasij, Daunsigslæting, Ejmjenspalajtsc, Filipolis, Frisköptislæting, Girnel, Kralingslæting, Läähtisit, Nýtdainsk, Örnalthingää, Pavlopolis, Planigslæting and Pyetsit.
 * The subalpine climate  is found in all the mountainous regions between 1000 and 2000 meters a.s.l. Summers are cool, short and wet, while winters are very cold and snowy.
 * The alpine tundra climate is found in all the mountainous regions, generally above 2000 or 2500 meters a.s.l. Summers are chilly and wet, while winters are extremely cold, long and snowy. Mountain affected by this climate is Krrudsdnim.
 * The ice cap climate is found in all the mountainous regions that have a glacier. Summers are cold and wet, while winters are extremely cold, long and snowy. Mountains affected by this climate: Sübmonss and Wytdnimdjer.

Administrative division
Griffin Empire is a federal republic of 7 principalities which are the principal administrative districts in the country. These are divided into subdivisions of counties, metropolises and municipalities. Bound together in a political union, each principality holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Griffinians are citizens both of the federal Empire and of the principality in which they reside. Principality citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between principalities, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders (such as paroled convicts and children of divorced spouses who are sharing custody).

Foreõsvdetrre is the most populous of the 7 principalities of Griffin Empire. It is located in the central part of the country and often called the Kralingslætingiskaha Madnait ("The land of Kralingslæting") because it includes the city of Kralingslæting. Foreõsvdetrre is densely populated and economically important, it has an official estimated population of 12,575,355 (39.8% of the population of the country) and accounts for nearly 40% of the Griffin Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Besides the landmarks of Kralingslæting, the region has many important historic sites, including the Palace of Saint Belviederhee and the Palace of Blaaföntanshke, as well as the most-visited tourist attraction in Griffin Empire, Palace of Brobdingngang. The poverty rate in Foreõsvdetrre was 0.9% in 2015, compared with 2.3% in 2006. Housing prices have pushed the less affluent outside the city.

Meremaa is the second most populous principality of the seven historic regions of Griffin Empire, the far southwestern. This region is famous for the Mere Griffiniskaja (Griffin Sea or Griffin Riviera - hence the name "Mere-maa" literally Sea-land), which spans the glamorous cities of Tevs, Salta, Aigntibt, Jonattpinn, Hjemtilëiyl, Frësit, Sagnrafa, Sagnmaxa and Sagntrappä.

Its capital is Mare Incatato, the third biggest city in Griffin Empire, popular tourist destination and historic university city, and to this day remains the most important educational centre in the region. It borders Pzyerüyölkeä and Õklingsmaa, as well as Ugaly. The largest cities in the region are Mare Incatato, Tevs, Salta and Zonpolah, each with a population exceeding 540,000. Along with Mare Incatato, Tevs is the second most populous city in the principality with a population of about 1,003,947 which means that Meremaa is the only principality with two cities with metropolis status.

The principality is also made internationally popular with Hjemtilëiyl which, though not a large city (population of 73,868), hosts the annual Hjemtilëiyl Film Festival which has highly popularized the region. Also, Arlingleht has become renowned as the city in which Vinsänt Dët Hooh lived and painted 300 paintings. Salta is a large military harbour on the coast of Griffin Sea, with the Griffin naval base placed there.

Estimadnait is the third most populous principality of Griffin Empire and despite its name it is located in the westernmost part of the country, spanning the west and northwest. During the Griffin expansion, one group mistook this area as eastern to the Griffin main domain, and named it East-land.

Its largest city, Pyetsit is its capital and has the metropolis status. The region has 2 big cities, 1 middle city and 25 small cities, among which the most important after Pyetsit are Filipolis (884,275 inhabitants), Sania (679,866), Busk (407,295), and Vilabradwõt (75,735), as well as 11 major clusters. The growth of its population, particularly marked on the coast, makes this one of the most attractive areas economically in Griffin Empire; the new region outperforms the Foreõsvdetrre and Meremaa in demographic dynamism.

After Foreõsvdetrre, Eestimadnait is the premier Griffin region in research and innovation, with five universities (Pyetsit, Filipolis, Vilabradwõt, Poatiyë and Pausksit) and several Övrahtõ. The agricultural region of Natia with the greatest turnover, it is the Griffin region with the most tourism jobs, as it has three of the four historic resorts on the Griffin Norigin coast. Its economy is based on agriculture and viticulture (vineyards of Pyetsit and Koniackäplaitsc), tourism, a powerful aerospace industry, digital economy and design, parachemical and pharmaceutical industries, financial sector (Mailddt is the fourth-largest financial center in the nation, specialising in mutual insurance companies), and industrial ceramics (Eestimadnaitiskaja Pustigslæting).

Õklingsmaa is the largest principality of Griffin Empire located in southeast part of the country. The region has a population of 3,536,143. Hermýn is its, largest and most important city, as well as capital. It is also the second biggest city in the Griffin Empire. Õklingsmaa has extremely diverse geographical, sociological, economic, and cultural regions. The eastern as southern part of the principality is in the Natian Alps. The highest peak is Wytdnimdjer. The central part of the region comprises the river valleys of the Hermýna and the Drinsörwõt. The confluence of these two rivers is at Hermýn. The western part of the region contains the start of the Massif Centralerneiska mountain range. The region also borders or contains major lakes such as Lake Üomofe and Lake Emozý. The Eltdesh flows through the southwest portion of the principality, where it has carved the deepest gorge in Natia.

Õklingsmaa is a prosperous region which can be seen by its per capita GDP of about 131,425 Kralaurums, which is higher than the Griffin average, and an average income of 135,910 Kralaurums, its economy second in size only to Foreõsvdetrre. This can be attributed to the diversity of the production in different sectors. The region is one of the Four Motors for Natia.

Industry, in particular: Services, in particular:
 * Light engineering and high-tech
 * Mechanical engineering in the area of Emozý
 * Precision machining in the area of Groozoz
 * High-tech industries, nanotechnology, biotechnology especially in Planigslæting with 62,300 jobs in these sectors thanks to the presence of the Scienshkepolýgoon, Ignogvaglegt and some large companies as Ëlektriktet Shnindershke.
 * Optic and design in Sellola
 * Tourism with the mountains (for skiing), Hermýn and Planigslæting (for culture) and the Eltdesh (adventure sports/camping) particularly popular
 * Education, with major universities in Hermýn, Planigslæting and Sellola.

Sletterimaa (literally „the land of fields“) is the northernmost principality of Griffin Empire. Its biggest city as well as capital is Nýtdainsk which has the metropolis status. With 3,145,852 inhabitants it is the fourth most populous region in the Empire. Other major cities are Legislæting, Presörsit, Pavlopolis, Ejmjenspalajtsc and Klej which serves as a major economic/transportation hub with Tybalteva; this makes Sletterimaa the closest Griffin connection to the friendly nation of Tybalteva. Just like its name suggests, the principality is very flat and includes everything from the long sand beaches of the Grifýlandet bay in the west to the vast forests and pastures of the Tiarhis in the east and down to the palace of Skjanturing or Petrföndingar near Foreõsvdetrre and vineyards of the border with Färzas - Lætingmaa to the south.

Historically, the region of Sletterimaa has a strong and proud cultural identity. Its cultural heritage includes some of the most extraordinary Gothic churches (Ejmjenspalajtsc and Bövësit cathedrals or Ars basilica), distinctive local cuisine (including panhaaghen, flamöpoorro, marotshjarrta), beer (including from Përklerk brewery) and traditional games and sports, such as the lopdescirq (ancestor of tennis), as well as tantsidsletterisk and its own bagpipes, called the kehto.

The villages of Sletterimaa have a distinct character, with their houses made of red bricks, often accented with a "lace" of white bricks. It is arguably the birthplace of Gothic architecture, housing six of the world's greatest examples of Gothic cathedrals, which span the history of Gothic architecture in its entirety.

The unemployment rate is higher than the national average. About 6% of the population was unemployed in 2014, particularly people aged between 18 and 25. The economy is essentially led by the service sector, which employs 75% of the working population, followed by manufacturing (23%) and agriculture (2%).

Pzyerüyölkeä is the central-western principality with its centre in its biggest city – Göldtsit. It is the third smallest region in the Empire, and has a population of 2,628,927. It has a coast on the west and is neighbored by all of Griffin principalities except Färzas - Lætingmaa. The biggest cities of the principality are Göldtsit, Rakozsit, Läähtisit, Plosnatsit and Pustigslæting. This historical region has been recognized as a linguistic and cultural concept since the Middle Ages. It was the last principality to join the Griffin Empire.

Its rhimish diallect of the Grififn language is very distinct and almost considered as an independent language. Currently about 200,000–800,000 people in the area are either native or proficient speakers of the diallect. Rhimish literature – still sometimes called Pzyerüyölkeän literature – is a body of texts written in Rhimish. It originated in the poetry of the eleventh- and twelfth- century troubadours, and inspired the rise of vernacular literature throughout medieval Natia.

The principality is dominated by vineyards, and the region has been an important winemaking centre for several centuries. The region is the largest contributor to the Natia's glut (dominance of supply over demand) of wine known as the wine lake. It is also home of a great variety of cheeses (like Roktfort, Blöotovert, Kæbekö, Shjantaal, Förmdaæmbært, Lægjool, Pælærrdæn, Sæntnktr, Sælæ) and a great diversity of wines such as Göldtsitiskaja, Roon wine, Gæyæk wine, Sæmijo wine, Blænktlæmæn, Müskæat, Pröwæns wine, Kæhærrs wine, Iuransæn. Alcohols such as Pæstis and Mærribrayrs or brandies such as, Armangg, and Koniackäplaitsctrhekh are produced in the area.

Färzas – Lætingmaa is an administrative region and the historical principality in eastern Griffin Empire. The region sits astride three water basins (Jalina, Muusa and Drening), spanning the 2nd largest area in Griffin Empire, and includes two mountain ranges (Wöskileng and Lati). It shares borders with Ujedinjeni Gvozd, Foreõsvdetrre, Õklingsmaa, and Sletterimaa. As of 2020, it had a population of 1,957,940 inhabitants, the lowest in the country. The administrative capital and largest city, by far, is Frisköptislæting. It is the only capital with no metropolis status. Other major cities include: Daunsigslæting, Õrnalthingää, Anastasij and Girnel.

The East of Griffin has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the Griffin and Natian worlds which is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there (Griffin, Latingish, Gvozdian, Shtyish Griffin etc.). Most of today's Färzas region was considered "Eastern" as early as the 8th century, when it constituted the southern part of the Griffin territory of Fąrsąsýmądn. Färzas fairs played a significant role in the economy of medieval Natia as well. Lætingmaa thrived in the sphere of influence of the Central Natian Powers for most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The region is home to distinctive traditions (the celebration of Wisdom Day, Christmas markets, or traditions involving the Life and Death Celebration hare in Lætingmaa). Both regions of the principality are furthermore subject to local law for historical reasons. With a long industrial history as well and its agriculture and tourism (arts, gastronomy, sightseeing etc.), the East of Griffin is one of the top economic producing regions in the country.

Demographics
Griffin Empire has an estimated 2020 population of 31.6 million people. It has a relatively high rate of natural population growth. In recent years, the fertility rate declined slightly to 1.93 children per woman. The average age is 35.6 years. Average life expectancy at birth is 82.2 years, the ninth highest in the world.

Griffinians are people from the Griffinic group and speak Griffin language which is not related to any of languages of its neighbouring countries. Six cases declination system, very long words and vowel rich phonology are some of the most recognizable characteristics of the language.

Language
Griffin Language (Griffiniskaja langua) is a Griffinic language of the West Natian branch spoken in Griffin Empire. It is the official language of the nation, spoken natively by about 33.1 million people. Griffin language has had 5 different versions through its history - first, older, middle, old and new Griffin languages and because of the well written history of the language it is possible to learn and speak all of the 5 versions.

In the early years of the country, Griffin king Frëdrýk I demanded of his scholars to go throughout his country and study the language and make an universal rule book so that the nation could speak one standardized language. The first grammar, dictionary and Orthography were written in the year 102. ad and they are known as the "First Act of the Griffn Language". Today these three books are kept at the library of the Brobdingngagng castle. For the 500th anniversary of the law, the books were revised, updated and rewritten, and published as the "The second Language Act". This way, by updating the books it is easy to see how the language changed through the years. In the year 1001. the act was updated again as "Update of the 2nd Language Law", but the most important update is the 4th one - “The official reformation of the Language” in 1787 which marked the begining of the new era in the Griffin linguistics. Many rules were changed so the language would be easier both to speak and write. This version of the language is considered as the language of music, theology, the sciences, medicine, and law, so it is not common to see it used even today. The latest language update happened in 1978 when the Congress of the Griffin Language Faculties was held in Hermýn, where they agreed upon the new more simplified rules of the language published in the final act “The Words of Hermyn”.

There are 5 regional dialects as well - Rish, Rhish, Rrish, Hish and Shtyish. Formerly the sixth dialect - Lætingish was upgraded to the status of the regional language in 1978.

Text sample
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Griffin:

''Allet ot liudotre bornääru libertõdetkrafftiska et saimiska pop sit værrdiggklehtot et sit blefmagingot l'cest de onerei. Biy gievhavn onereilt förrshtooved et avarnung et onerei shoodau to meimaklu deres itmiszsam edn tüll dos pop to soulstiyelilt ot brõõdermanhuafftotr.'' (All people are born free and equal in their dignity and rights. They are given reason and conscience and they shall create their relationships to one another according to the spirit of brotherhood.)

Major cities
Griffin Empire is a highly urbanized country. Its cities are divided into 5 groups - metropolises (major cities with over 1 million inhabitants), big cities (500 thousand - 1 million inhabitants), middle cities (100-500 thousand inhabitants) and small cities (under 100 thousand inhabitants). Every settlement under 10 thousand inhabitants is considered as a village. Currently there are 7 cities with the metropolis status. Meremaa is the only principalitiy with 2 metropolises and Frisköptislæting is the only capital of a principality that is not a metropolis.

Song selection
Up to the 195 contest, Griffin Empire used internal selection as a method of choosing its representative. Since 196 edition there has been organised a national festival - Griffiniskaja laul where Griffin principalities compete in a Eurovision-like show held in a city from the principality that won the edition before. Voting format is similar as well, a combination of Griffin principalities televoting and an international jury. The competition makes a considerable impact on the music charts in Griffin Empire.

Results
Griffin Empire was one of founding nations of the WLSC, debuted at its first edition, won that same edition and hosted the next one. Even though Griffin Empire was a moderately succesfull country, it took a few long breaks, returning for good in edition 195.