Pyreica

Pyreica (pronounced Pee-ray-ka), or in its complete form Republicxi Mudernè Pyreicsè (Pyreican Modern Republic) is a small country located in the Southern part of Galea, between Rumia, Kamandé and Gvozdmost. Being a land of mountains, Pyreica was for a long time quite isolated from the rest of the world. Agriculture was the only economical forte until the middle of the XIXth century when sport and spa tourism took over. Since 2014, the country has been governed by President Aslaís Peira.

Etymology
The name of the country comes from the Latin root of the word fire : pyr. When the first settlers came to the land, they were taken aback by the colors of the sky when the rays of sunset reached the snow-covered peaks. The red and orange hues gave Pyreica its title of the Land on Fire (Tierth ò Pyr).

Topography
A major part of the country was founded on a plateau, surrounded by high mountain ranges in the East (Massís ed Neth) and South (Mendi d'Aor). The highest point is Píco Nethoù, which culminates at 4306m, while the average altitude of the country is more than 1700m. A few decades ago snow could be found under 1000m from November to May. Nowadays, due to global warming, winter season is shorter and glaciers are melting. The biggest one, Blau Glacier, lost 25% of its surface in the last twenty years and now spreads over 16.42 km².

Many mountain lakes can be found in Pyreica. Small in size but big in numbers, Pyreica owns the record for the highest lacustrine density with 3254 lakes !

Pyreica shares a small part of Cassèl Lake with Kamandé while the dense forest in the West forms a natural barrier with Ujedinjeni Gvozd. This peculiar topography keeps the land quite isolated from the rest of the world and prevents enemies from breaking into the country.

Climate
Pyreica is subjected to an alpine climate, in winter the average temperature doesn't rise above 3.4°C while it's only 19.3° in the summer. The pluviometry is one of the highest in the world of Natia with 1041mm per year. The country marks down a border between the harsh desertic conditions in the east and the more temperate climate in the Kamande-Tybaltevan part of the land in the west.

Demographics
Pyreica is the home of 2,345,689 inhabitants (2019 estimation), spread over an area of 45 468 km². The highest density can be found near Esthaní Cassèl (Cassel Lake), making Esthanè and its suburb area the most populated city in the country with 354 478 inhabitants. Pyreica has a fertility rate of 1.76 and a life expectancy at birth of 83.5 years, one of the highest in the world of Natia.

Languages
At the establishment of the country, Begorran and Pyrohóc were the official languages of Pyreica, both originating from Latin, with Begorran being mainly spoken in the eastern part of the country. Over the years, Pyrohóc spread its influence and assimilated Begorran, thus forming the current Pyreican language. We can still find vestiges of Begorran in the local dialects. Due to the arrival of many French and Spanish speakers in the XIXth century, the government took a measure to protect Pyreican and insure it stayed the major language of the country. A recent Yaponesian diaspora brought more diversity to the country's population and language.

The Pyreican alphabet is composed of 29 letters. Its difference with the English alphabet is noticeable by the additional a-e-i-o-u variants and the lack of q and w. Pyreican is characterized by its vowel-rich phonology and lack of declination system. It is deemed as an easy to learn language thanks to its lack of gender markers and its simple conjugation, however natives are hard to understand due to their speed of speech and habit to talk animatedly.

Economy
Thanks to its vast fields and topography, Pyreica’s economy revolves around two main points : agriculture and tourism. For centuries now, the country has welcomed people from all over the world, eager to tackle the highest mountains or chill in winter resorts. Simultaneously, Pyreica is the home of many hot water sources, which propelled the country as a world’s leader in balneology. Ansèth, the capital, hosts the largest balneo center of the continent.

The currency is the Sòun (SON).

Flag
Nature has always been one of the most important aspect of Pyreican culture and can be illustrated in the flag chosen by the people at the establishment of the new republic in 1912. Black, lime green and white embody three fundamentals : rock (mountains), life (agriculture), and light. The representation of the sun in the middle is accompanied by the symbols of Air and Earth, two of the four elements that are essential to the balance of the land.

Motto
The national motto « Demori xumilè aítzi gizandi » (litt. Stay humble in front of the giant) had been for centuries the core principle of Pyreican values, the giant referring to the unforgivable mountain that took the lives of many over the course of the year. Despite its far-away origin, it was only written in the Constitution at the end of the XIXth when Pyreica disposed of the Monarchy and implemented the current Modern Republic. Today it is most employed to remind people to not force themselves onto nature and learn to live with it rather than trying to master it.

Anthem
The national anthem Ailisi ed Tierth ò Pyr (litt. "The Wings from the Land on Fire") was written in February 1912 at the start of the Modern Republic in honor of the new era.

Ahantz, sèkulei nai (Forget, we will never) Cèu tènhaí gorri (The sky tainted red)

Banhaí nel odol ed nòu frèxis (Basked in the blood of our brothers)

Hegani, pitchoùn (Fly, little one)

Sùbre lèrmis eth lehertzà (Above the tears and the rumbling)

Sùs nò maiestàt tierth (Over our majestic homeland)

O se pàurnai eth grazicsè (O so fearless and gracious)

Hegani, pitchoùn (Fly, little one)

Dia tieu ailisi obreiu liberthsè (May your wings spread free)

Eth aduíreiu nò arma (And carry our soul)

Ó Viatgji infinitsè (On a never-ending journey)

Sports
Pyreica excels in winter sports, especially in alpine skiing and snowboarding. In the 2018 Winter Olympics Games, they brought home 14 medals, earning them a place in the Top 10 and the highest ratio of medals per inhabitant. Since the eighties, Ice Hokey is the most popular team sport in the country. The Men’s team won two World Cups in the last decade and never left the semi-final lineup in international championships since 2003.

Bare rugby sevens, summer sports aren’t as successful, unfortunately. In the last three editions of the Olympics they only won medals in swimming, cycling and judo, but with the inclusion of climbing in the 2020 Olympics they hope to break this poor streak.

This lack of results on the biggest stage doesn't prevent Pyreicans from performing in less conventional sports. DH, trail running, canyoning, paragliding, mountaineering, and all outdoor activities are extremely popular.

Music
Since December 2019, the Pyreican delegation represented by the national media company, PyrTV, joined the Nation Song Contest. Pyreica spent 14 months in the Waiting List before joining NSC for the 190th edition