Zeala

__NOTOC__
Zeala, officially the Republic of Zeala, is an island nation in the centre of the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of a main landmass — the Crescent Island — and several smaller islands, covering a total area of ... square kilometres. Zeala is about 1370 kilometres north-west of Cape Verde and 1690 kilometres west of the Canary Islands. Zeala's only city, also named Zeala, is its capital.
Owing to its remoteness, Zeala was one of the last places on Earth to be settled by humans. The Vikings are widely credited with the islands' first discovery, but this has not been proven and it is unknown when this may have occurred. Other discoveries include the Spanish around ..., and the Portuguese around .... The islands' first settlers were Africans, but it is unknown when or how they discovered the islands. In ..., the islands were rediscovered by the Greeks, who settled there. The islands were then rediscovered again by the British in ..., who claimed sovereignty over the islands. The islands were freed by the Americans in ..., but then fell into a period of [disrepair]. Zeala then became the interest of a rich Frenchwoman by the name of .... She fixed up the nation and secured its independence. Today, the majority of Zeala's population of ... is of Greek, British, and American descent. The official languages are English, Greek, and ..., with English being dominant.
A tourism-based nation, Zeala ranks averagely in international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, education, economic development, government transparency, and economic freedom. Zeala's main industries, tourism and fishing, contribute largely to its overall GDP of .... The current Mayor of Zeala, ..., was born in ... in ..., England. He has been Mayor for ... years and is ... years of age. Zeala uses the Metric System and its currency is known as ringlets. It's flag is light blue with a yellow five-pointed star in the centre.
== Table of Contents ==
* Etymology
* Geography and Environment
** Physical Geography
** Climate
** Biodiversity
* History
** Pre-Independence
*** First Discoveries
**** Vikings (... - ...)
**** Spanish (... - ...)
**** Portuguese (... - ...)
*** First Settlers
**** Africans (... - ...)
**** Greeks (... - ...)
*** Under Colonial Rule
**** British
***** British Discovery
***** British Rule (... - ...)
**** Americans
***** American Takeover
***** American Rule (... - ...)
*** Era of [Disrepair]
**** Abandonment
**** Gang Takeover
**** Under Gang Rule (... - ...)
*** Liberation
** Independence
** Post-Independence
*** ... Fiasco
*** Death of ...
*** Involvement in World War Two
*** Modern Era (... - ...)
* Politics
** Government
** Foreign Relations
** Military
* Demography
** Ethnicity and Language
** Religion
* Economy
** Main Industries
*** Fishing
*** Tourism
**** Tourist Attractions
***** 1
***** 2
***** 3
** International Businesses
*** A
*** B
*** C
** Local Businesses
*** D
*** E
*** F
*** G
*** H
* Extra Resources
**Maps
**Miscellaneous
*Credits
== Etymology ==
In 1678, Zeala was sighted by the captain of a trading vessel when he was transporting manufactured goods from the Kingdom of England to Africa in exchange for slaves. The captain, Philip Elwood, was rather confused and thought the islands were the mysterious land of New Zealand, which he had heard about in a tavern a few weeks earlier. When this was disproven, Elwood was ordered to change the name to avoid confusion. He was fond of the name 'New Zealand', however, and so shortened the islands' name to Zeala instead. The islands have been called Zeala ever since.
== Geography and Environment ==
Zeala is located in the Northern Hemisphere, the Western Hemisphere, and the Atlantic Ocean. The islands are considered part of the African continent, and lie on the African Tectonic Plate. They form part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde, and the Savage Isles. They are located 1,370 kilometres north-west of Santo Antão, which makes Cape Verde its closest neighbour. It is 1,620 kilometres south-west of Ponta Delgada in the Azores Islands, and 1,685 kilometres west of El Hierro in the Canary Islands.
=== Physical Geography ===
Zeala is an island chain in the North Atlantic Ocean consisting of one main island and five smaller islands in a circular formation. The largest island, Crescent Island, is divided by the Zealan Mountain Range, which runs the length of the island. Besides the Crescent Island, the only other inhabited islands are the Duponte Island, (separated from the Crescent Island by the Duponte Canal) and Ferguson's Island (separated from the Crescent Island by the Shallow Strait). The Navigator Strait separates Ferguson's Island to the north and the Duponte Island to the south-west. The Elwood Lagoon is a circular body of water surrounded by the Crescent Island and the smaller Zealan Islands.
=== Climate ===
=== Biodiversity ===
The western face of the Zealan Mountain Range is covered with dense forest and bushland, and is home to the ... people. The eastern face of the mountain range, on the other hand, is made of hard clay and rock, as is many of the smaller islands. Of all of the smaller islands, only Ferguson's Island has plant life growing on it.
== History ==
The history of Zeala is a long and winding story. Discovered and rediscovered by different civilisations, run by trading settlers, colonial soldiers, and gang members, and divided between the religious ... tribes and the trading Zealan citizens, Zeala is a hotspot of historical activity and unusual relations. 
=== Pre-Independence ===
Before Zeala's independence in ..., they were colonial territories of both the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as becoming, for a short period of time, a gang-run warlord state.
==== First Discoveries ====
A desolate island, offering salvation and rest to explorers and travellers lost in the expansive ocean, Zeala was discovered and rediscovered by colonial empires and seafaring navigators alike. However, due to the rocky coast and shallow rocks in the entrance to the cove, it is assumed that any discoverers of Zeala ran aground on the rocks and either perished in the ensuing shipwreck, or made it to the main island but did not have the supplies or capabilities to survive or escape the island. Divers and researchers have been able to identify the empires and people who discovered Zeala by exploring the numerous shipwrecks littering the basin of the Elwood Lagoon.
===== Vikings (... - ...) =====