St. Gelta

This page refers to the Jonathian province. For the former state that existed between 1059 and 1920, see St. Gelta (kingdom). For the mercenary, see St. Gelta (mercenary). For other pages, see Gelta. Not to be confused with gella.
St. Gelta (French: Sainte-Gelta; Jonish: Santgelte; Geltan: Yonnesland), also known as just Gelta, is a landlocked province located in the east of Jonathia. St. Gelta in its current form was formed in the year 1059, following the Geltan Reformation. In 1920, as well as eleven other states, St. Gelta became a part of Jonathia, and served as one of it's founding members. St. Gelta takes pride in it's culture, and celebrates it in several holidays observed in the province. St. Gelta is bordered by Lolland to the east and south, Leafland to the west, and Arizaia to the north. It's capital is Gelta City, while it's largest city is Wilbird. Other major cities and towns in St. Gelta include Yoyle, Earbridge, and Redbook.
St. Gelta's terrain contains flat plains in the south, and vast mountain ranges in the north. St. Gelta is also home to mines dating back to 1729 - which are referenced in the province's flag, and is, as of 2021, the nation's second-largest exporter of coal and iron, behind Lolland. In terms of demographics, Geltan people dominate the provinces population, with Lollese in second and immigrants from Canadia trailing behind in third.
== Etymology ==
St. Gelta is named after Gelta, a catholic mercenary from Arizaia. He is rumored to have been buried somewhere in the northern part of Wilbird, in the suburb of Greedhill, then known as Grijthäal. Gelta itself is a Jonish word meaning "blood". Ironically, St. Gelta is home to redwood trees, red being the same colour as blood, making St. Gelta a fitting name for the province.
== History ==
=== Pre-historic St. Gelta (1400 BC - 200 AD) ===
=== Yonnesland (200 - 912) ===
=== Arizaian occupation and annexation (912 - 1059) ===
In 912, Arizaian soldiers and mercenaries invaded St. Gelta, in an attempt to claim land with connections to the Arizaian culture, faith, and the Catholic religion. The peoples of the province were brutually suppressed, losing to Arizaia's might battle after battle.
=== Kingdom of St. Gelta (1059 - 1920) ===
In 1059, a small uprising in Yoyle led to a massive collapse of Arizaia's territorial claims in St. Gelta. With the Geltan peoples becoming increasingly tired of mass suppression, the peoples rose up and drove the Arizaian peoples off their land. Following this, the Kingdom of St. Gelta was reformed, with the monarchy reinstalled. Arizaia and St. Gelta continue to have a bitter relationship well into the 21st century.
=== Unification in Jonathia (1920 - present) ===
During the Great War, St. Gelta was one of many provinces ravaged by the Canadish invasion. However, some instances went differently than expected for them. Many Canadish soldiers reportedly began to feel homesick, concerning alot of St. Gelta's culture is derived from Lolland and Canadia, and decided to stay. This was quite a surprise to the civilians living there, the latter of which welcomed the occupiers as St. Geltans themselves, but was quite an offense and a thorn in the back of the Canadish generals, who called them "crazy lunatics", and ordered a full raid and destruction of every town and city in the area. However, the troops refused, due to their love for the province, and also the Canadish government, who did not want to destroy civilian targets.
After the Great War, immigration of Canadish people to St. Gelta began to skyrocket, as Canadish peoples of young and old, particularly those who fought for the East Jonathian front, began to move to St. Gelta.
== Geography ==
=== Boroughs ===
St. Gelta is divided into thirteen boroughs. The thirteen boroughs are:
# Swinleigh
# Oxerford
# Greater Wilbird
# Genderspeak
# Nordwillerland
# Whestingshire
# Auberbourg
# West Meston
# Meston
# Alladioure
# Greater Gelta City
# Charbonchampe
# Pointe Sud
=== Climate ===
== Culture ==
St. Gelta is disputedly the most cultural province in Jonathia. A "nation of purple and fire"The "land of purple and fire" represents the large use of purple in Geltan culture, and the fires of the torches of the Geltan mines., St. Gelta holds the largest cultural celebrations in the country every Independence Day, with reports of up to 4 million people observing the holiday every year. Much of St. Gelta's culture is derived from the cultures of Lolland and Canadia. When Arizaia invaded the area around 912 AD, they attempted to force their culture on St. Gelta. This attempt, however, failed, and except for the language, there is rare instances of Arizaian influence in Geltan culture, if any remain.
St. Gelta is in a rivalry with the Northern Province over which province is the best. While the Northern Province holds the advantage in football, St. Gelta holds a lead in culture, food, and politics. This rivalry reached a head during the 2020 final of the Jonathian Premier League, where St. Gelta won 1 - 0.
=== Clothing ===
The "Geltadrotsch", meaning Geltan dress, is a purple and yellow dress worn by Geltans during cultural events. Their clothing consists of:
* Purple straw hat (optional, sometime includes yellow flower).
* Geltsyott (English: Geltan Shirt) - A purple shirt with white sew lines, and a yellow square at the top of the shirt.
* Black gloves (Black gloves were not part of the original dress, but became popular from the 1760s onwards)
*Either or both:
** Black or purple woolen pants
**Purple/yellow striped skirt
* Black or white shoes/high-heels (optional)
=== Provincial holidays ===
St. Gelta observes all holidays observed by Jonathia with the exception of Flachtdenso Day (February 16), which coincided with Geltagroslat (Geltan Independence Day).
Date 	Name 	Description 	Notes
16 February	Geltagroslat 	A celebration of Geltan independence. Geltagroslat has been observed since 1071. 	
29 February	Liepjott 	Liepjott is a celebration of the leap year and it's uniqueness. Observed since 1894, it is more popular among schoolchildren, who tend to make "zontschatt" (colour branches), a festive tree branch covered in paint, streamers, and other decorations.	
8 June 	Purple Day 	A day to celebrate Geltan culture. 	
23 December	Sanc-Nikola Dag	Some Geltans who remain true to Geltan tradition tend to observe Christmas Day two days prior to the rest of the world. The reason for this is unknown. 	
=== Demographics ===
The 2018 Jonathian census enumerated a resident population of 7,463,995, an increase of 6.2% over the 2014 census figure.
== Government and politics ==
St. Gelta currently holds thirty electoral seats. It had been a swing state like every other province until 2020, when it came to be identified as a safe Liberal seat with the rise of the new election system. The current provincial governor is Jonas Albert, who is also serving as the prime minister of Jonathia.
St. Gelta's governing body is known as the Provincial Assembly, though it's name is often shortened to just "Assembly".
== References ==
== See also ==
* Jonathia
* St. Gelta (mercenary)
Category:St. Gelta
Category:Jonathia
Category:Jonathian provinces
Category:Provinces