Copalia

Copalia (French: Copalie; Copalian: Gebalizo), officially the Copalian Republic (French: République Copalienne; Copalian: Gebaliza Rebalika), is a sovereign state in Andoladia. One of the smallest nations on the continent, it borders Gallitonia to the north and east, Gelerland to the northwest, and Brant to the west. Copalia's south is lined with coastal areas and the Southern Ocean. Copalia has a population of 1,295,446. making Copalia the 111th-largest country by population worldwide, and the smallest of the countries on the Andoladian continent. Premaville is Copalia's capital, while Port d'Or is the largest city. Other major cities and towns include Pointrouge, Nime, and Chersage.
The homeland of the Copalians, the area was colonized by St. Gelta in 1808. The Geltans dubbed the land "Côte de Charbon" (lit. Coal Coast), due to the abundance of coal in the area. After the area's independence in July of 1919, the nation redubbed itself as Copalia, a mispronunciation of the Copalian name, Gebalizo.
Copalia is a developing country. The country's identity is largely shaped around it's formation as a colonial mining port part of the Kingdom of St. Gelta. It relies heavily on it's resources for trade and economy. It's main trading bloc is with the Central Continents Union, of which it is a part of. Copalia is also a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Commonwealth of Nations, and the GUIS.
== Etymology ==
The name "Copalia" is a French mispronounciation of the region's Copalian-language name, Gebalizo, which when translated into English from Copalian means "people's coast".
== History ==
=== Early settlers ===
Proof of human presence in Copalia exists as early as 3,000 BC, when human remains were found in an excavation site near Port de Glorie. Based on Copalian culture, researchers have been able to decode that the Copalian people emigrated from Tapanthia, unlike most other peoples on the Andoladian continent who emigrated from Eurapolia via ice bridges. This explains the contrast in cultures between Copalia and it's surrounding nations.
=== Colonization ===
Sometime after the discovery of the Andoladian continent, the Kingdom of St. Gelta sent out several mercenaries to navigate the area. The ship, originally headed for what is today southern Rockland, had to steer to the south to avoid poor weather conditions in the area. After months of sailing along the Southern Ocean, one of the ships, the Weatherwatcher, docked in the Copalian area. Unaware of the copious amounts of tribes in the region, the Geltans set up a town, Chersage.
After some days of exploring, the Geltans encountered the Copalians. Both sides were surprised to be aware of each other's presence, and both entered a period of confusion as to what to do next. After two months, in July of 1716, it was decided to send to the newfound land a religious mercenary to attempt to communicate with the tribes. The mercenary was able to negotiate with the tribes a deal - as long as the tribes did not interfere with the colonizers' plans, the colonizers would allow the tribes to coexist. The tribes agreed, and soon after the colony of Côte de Charbon (French for "coal coast") was formed.
=== Côte de Charbon ===
The existence of Côte de Charbon is precarious. There was little tension between the colonizers and the tribes, though conflict sometimes occurred, most notably the Argent incident in 1759, which necessitated the evacuation of a silver mine after it was discovered that it sat upon a major tribal capital. After some negotiation, the two sides agreed to share the area, and after construction in the area to improve infrastructure, coupled with the discovery of gold in the mines, the town of Port d'Or was formed.
Port d'Or quickly became the largest city of Copalia as immigrants from St. Gelta and later Lolland began flocking to the area. This sudden influx of immigrants necessitated the formation of a colonial government, and as such, in 1798, the government of St. Gelta allowed Côte de Charbon the ability to elect a Colonial Governor. Côte de Charbon also recieved a capital city for government operations to occur, although the choice for this capital, Premaville, was controversial, due to its perceived insignificance as well as its status as the fourth-largest city in the colony at the time. However, Premaville did have prime real estate, as well as several already constructed buildings to house government operations.
During the Resource War, Côte de Charbon supported the nearby Gallitonia.
=== Copalian independence ===
With the advent of the 20th century, many began advocating for independence from St. Gelta, noting the sheer difference between cultures between Côte de Charbon and the former. After several years of debate, in 1919, Côte de Charbon was finally granted independence as a democratic republic. The name chosen for the new state was inspired by the French name for the tribes. Then-Colonial Governor Nathan Bessette was appointed as Copalia's first president.
Copalia did not join the Great War, but expressed support for the Allied Powers. During the subsequent Cold War, Copalia remained non-aligned, though had strained relations with Poland for choosing to trade with Blostia.
=== Modern Copalia ===
During the 50s and 60s, Copalia experienced great economic growth, trading it's immense amounts of resources. This led to a resource crisis in the early 1970s, which saw a shortage of gold and silver in several mine networks across the nation. While this has since ended, the effects are still felt across Copalia to this day.
Copalia made it to the final of the IJF World Championships in 1986, though lost to Santa Chereza with a score of 4-3.
== Geography ==
=== Regions ===
Copalia is divided into seven regions (French: Régions, Copalian: Gakimani) and two federal districts (French: Arrondissements fédéraux, Copalian: Hamila-veteri).
*RG = regions / AF = federal districts
Name 	Capital 	Type
Casibila 	Pointrouge 	RG
Centrale 	Gevoix 	RG
Copalia Sudest 	Port de Gloire	RG
Hautes-Collines	Routerre 	RG
Ivoirebourge 	Nime 	RG
Langavisa 	Pallien 	RG
Maispherme 	Chersage 	RG
Port d'Or 	Port d'Or 	AF
Premaville 	Premaville 	AF
== Government and politics ==
== Culture ==
==See also==
Category:Copalia
Category:Countries in Andoladia
Category:Countries
Category:Andoladia