Sakuralia

Sakuralia is a nation in the Nation Song Contest. After 505 days on the Waiting List, it was officially recognized as a nation of Natia on May 5, 2015. It made its NSC debut at NSC 122 in Dalisska.

The country is located in Chiara province, bordered by Adamsburg to the west and Arirang to the south. The nations of Yaponesia and Calypso lie to the east across the Mahou Channel from Hanashima Bay.

About Sakuralia

 * Founded: December 16, 2013
 * Population: 25,000,000
 * Capital City: Hanashima
 * Country Code: SAK
 * Internet Code: .saku
 * Government: Constitutional Monarchy
 * Head of State: Empress Naoko Takeuchi
 * Prime Minister: Terri Hawkes
 * National Anthem: Moonlight Densetsu
 * Official Languages: Japanese and English
 * Flower: Cherry blossom
 * Motto: Bunka to sōzō-sei ga saku basho (Where culture and creativity bloom)
 * Currency: Nami (100 hanako = 1 nami)

Geography

 * Regions and capitals: Fuyubara (capital city: Snowpoint), Harumiko (capital city: Hanashima), Natsuyume (capital city: Taiyouhoshi), Akihana (capital city: Shimaya)
 * Highest Mountain: Pikayama (13,125 ft.)

Sakuralia's new flag was introduced on 13 March 2022 and was raised outside of the Parliament buildings and embassies/consulates across Natia on 3 April 2022. The shades of pink symbolize unity and diversity, with the national flower prominently displayed on the larger field.

International Relations
Sakuralia has forged friendships with countries across Natia and around the world. The country's strongest ties in Natia are with that of the nation of Moisantia.

Media
SHK (Sakuralia Hoso Kyokai) is the national public broadcaster of Sakuralia, with its headquarters located in the Kinozu district of Hanashima. It runs 3 primary television channels, 2 secondary channels and 2 radio stations (Radio 1 and Radio 2), private and regional stations are also available throughout the country as well as international channels carried by satellite.

All SHK programming is also available through its on-demand service. The main national daily newspaper is the Sakura Shimbun, offering both an English edition and a Japanese edition. Local and regional newspapers and magazines are also widely distributed
 * SHK 1: The main channel, featuring news, anime, game shows, major sporting events, entertainment and more, along with its popular annual New Year's Eve event, the Kohaku Uta Gassen.  Broadcasts the Nation Song Contest
 * SHK 2: Educational channel offering language and general interest courses as well as travel documentaries and information
 * SHK 3: Also known as SHK International, offering the best shows from around the world.  Broadcasts the Eurovision Song Contest annually with BBC feed and commentary
 * SHK News: Newly established in 2020, a 24/7 news service covering both domestic and international stories with broadcasts in both English and Japanese
 * SHK Kids: Newly established in 2020, featuring children's programming and cartoons. As of 2020, broadcasts the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
 * SHK Radio 1: News and information in both English and Japanese
 * SHK Radio 2: Offering the best music from Sakuralia and around the world

Important Holidays and Festivals in Sakuralia

 * January 1: New Year's Day
 * March 15: Empress Naoko's Birthday
 * April 29-May 5: Golden Week
 * May 5: Natia Matsuri
 * July 1: True North Festival (Canada Day)
 * December 16: Sakuralia Day
 * December 25: Christmas Day
 * December 31: New Year's Eve (Omisoka)

Sakuralia in NSC
Sakuralia officially joined the main roster on May 5, 2015 after nearly 17 months on the Waiting List. It has made 23 finals thus far in its contest history, with 2 top-5 finishes (5th in its debut in NSC 122, and 2nd in NSC 144) and 2 top 10s (9th in NSC 166, and 7th in NSC 181). It has hosted once (NSC 145) and pre-qualified 3 times (NSC 123 and NSC 145 via top-6 finish, and NSC 182 by promotion).

(*)For NSC 148, Sakuralia worked in conjunction with the nation of Tourmalet in Alternatia for their first song contest

Legend: Pink = DNQ, Aqua = PQ, Peach = REJU Qualifier

Sakuralia in WLSC
Sakuralia joined WLSC on December 16, 2013 and debuted in edition 57. Since then, it has won three times (WLSC 63 in Vylkuzeme, WLSC 81 in Meilutya and WLSC 82 on home ground). It has also hosted 4 times: WLSC 64, WLSC 77 (by deferral), WLSC 82 and WLSC 83.

Special Editions
All the NSC/WLSC events Sakuralia has participated in