Dal Riata

Dal Riata is a sepratist region-enclave of Virgohronie on the continent of Norigin with a population of only 92,464 citizens. Due to being an enclave within Virgohronie, Dal Riata has the status of a Double-Landlocked country. It has in recent years been campaigning for independence from its Virgohronian administrators, citing an ancient treaty with Virgohronie concerning Dal Riata's constitutional status.

The Capital of Dal Riata is Mallaig, which has a population of 797 and has been the seat of Dal Riata's legislature since ancient times. The official language of Dal Riata is Scottish Gaelic, though English is spoken fluently by almost 100% of the population and is mandatory in Dal Riatian schools. Its national currency is the Dal Riatian Pound (£), which is pegged in value to the Virgohronian Roobl.

History
Dal Riata has had a bloody history due to its heavily tribal-based nature. Almost every Dal Riatian is descended from one of the ancient tribes, of which around 84 remain, with an average of ~1100 members each. However, membership between the individual tribes can vary greatly, with the smallest having as little as 57, while the largest has over 2000. Conflicts between the tribes were numerous, and there was a state of almost constant warfare between them, though there relativly small size has kept this from spilling over into neighbouring countries. It has been suggested that this constant warfare has been the reason for Dal Riata's small population and growth rate, as despite this warrior culture, the stereotypical 'willingness to die in battle' view is not common among Dal Riatians and many Dal Riatian mothers have only a few children to avoid repeated pain at losing her children in war.

'Treaty of Činžilli '
After a particularly violent conflict which pitted two main groupings of the tribes against each other over the issue of succession to the Dal Riatian throne, it was agreed among the tribes to sign a treaty with Virgohronie, in which they voluntarily became an autonomous region of Virgohronie, in return for their help in isolating Dal Riata and preventing external interference in the tribal wars until a conclusion was reached internally by the tribes.

Modern Day
In recent times, conflict between the tribes has died off substantially, with a lawful and relativly stable government implemented. As such, the economy of Dal Riata has begun to improve considerably, and for the first time a national television broadcaster has been formed, DRTV, which has applied to join the NSC.

Many tribes have died off in this long struggle, and so Archeological digs are commonplace throughout Dal Riata as Archeologists attempt to find information on these lost tribes as contemporary records of the time are (understandably) rare.

Geography
Dal Riata is a very hilly country, though not mountainous. It's highest mountain is around 1,000ft above sealevel, and its various mountain ranges are popular spots for hikers and rock climbers. There are few significant lochs in Dal Riata, though there are legends of a prehistoric monster living in the larger ones, which locals have dubbed 'Agnes'.

Dal Riata has a mild climate, with winters dropping to around -20 degrees Celsius and heat reaching around 22 degrees in summer.

Demographics
Due to its history, the population of Dal Riata is relatively pure, with about 98% of the population being indigenous. Virgohronians make up the only other significant Ethnic Group, with the remaining 2% mainly because of Dal Riata's legal status as a region of Virgohronie.

Government


Traditionally, each tribe was for all intents and purposes, an independant entity, answerable only to the Dal Riatian King, though the monarchy was abolished as part of the Treaty of Činžilli. However, as the internal disputes died down, the tribes have become much more interdependent. Current government is based upon a unicameral democratic tribal council system, in which each tribe elects one representative to the 84-member 'Tribal Council' each year which constitutes both the legislature and judiciary. The position of executive, 'First Chief' is elected from among these 84 members, though has only limited powers himself.

In Dal Riata, a tribe is officially recognised when allocated a seat on the Tribal Council, thus the Tribal Council has varied in overall size at many points in its life, though has recently stabililized at 84 members. The method of election for their representative is decided by each individual tribe, though a simple Fast-Past-the-Post system is by far the most common.

The Tribal Council is a non-partisan chamber. However, most representatives tend to 'group' with other like-minded individuals into organisations resembling parties, though these are only at the forefront when council is in session. Members of these groups are still essentially independent representatives, and so it is not uncommon for Councillors to vote outwith that of their groups favoured position.