Belka

**Belka**, officially known as the **Principality of Belka**, is a country on the continent of Osea. It shares borders with FATO, Gebet and Recta to the east, Ustio to the south, and the Osean Federation to the west. Belka is situated east of the Waldreich Mountains and spans the western half of the North Osean Steppe. As of 2031, Belka has a population of nearly 60 million people. Its capital and largest city is Dinsmark, followed by Glockenturm, Wittelburg, Hoffnung, and North Sudentor.

The first Belkans settled what is now modern Belka at the height of the early colonization of the Osean continent around 800 AD, having migrated from modern-day Delarus. The first documentation of Belkan cultural identity, including the early Belkan language, emerged around 1200 AD, and the Principality of Belka was established shortly afterwards, around a hundred years later in 1300 AD by Reinhard the Great. Belka rapidly expanded in all directions shortly after its foundation, further diminishing the population of Native Oseans to the east, subjugating the Sapino Union to the south, and assimilating several feudal Osean states to the west. By 1800 AD, Belka was the largest great power on the continent, though it would subsequently undergo a precipitous decline from its preeminent position as a result of humiliating defeats in the Bannion Wars (1799-1822), the Sapino Wars of Independence (1802-1855), Annawan’s War (1833-1839), the Nassavian Revolution (1841), the Fraternal War (1847-1860), and the Osean Wars of Unification (1856-1899), effectively ending Belkan hegemony in favor of the newly formed Osean Federation by the beginning of the 20th century. In an effort to retake its lost territory, Belka quickly waged war with its new rival, first with the First Osean War (1905-1910), which ended with a stalemate and the signing of a Belkan-favorable peace treaty, and then with the Second Osean War (1939-1947), which ended with the defeat and total capitulation of Belka.

With its defeat in the Second Osean War, Belka abolished its monarchy and established a democratic federation modeled after its neighbor and then-former rival, Osea. Belka became a founding member of the Osean-led Democratic League and assisted Osea in its Cold War with communist Yuktobania, however it would ultimately abandon Osea by 1977, declaring neutrality. In response, Osea and its allies instigated an economic crisis, resulting in the Federal Law Review of 1987 that permitted the independence of the states of Gebet, Recta, and Ustio and the sale of various territories to Osea, Sapin, and FATO. The economic crisis directly led to the rise of Waldemar Rald and the fascist Fatherland Workers' Party to power in the late 1980s and early 1990s, who would go on to wage the Belkan War (1995-1996) against most of the Osean continent. Belka was again defeated, losing more territory, becoming partially demilitarized, and undergoing political reforms under occupation by Osea and its allies as part of the Treaty of Lumen. In 1997, Belka restored the principality and became a constitutional monarchy, though the government remained under the ultimate control of former members of the FWP, now known as the moderate Liberal Democratic Party. Since its loss in the Belkan War, Belkan nationalists, with the support of Belka's security services, have secretly attempted to influence global affairs and exact revenge, most notably with their instigation of the Pacific War (2010-2011), for which the country has been the subject of heavy international sanctions.

Belka is a constitutional monarchy with a unitary parliamentary government exercised by the Diet of Belka, a bicameral legislature consisting of the upper Council of State and the lower People's Council. The 144th and current Prince of Belka is Augustus III Anton, who was crowned on 13 August 1997. The current chancellor, or head of government, is Valentin Engel, who succeeded Waldemar Rald after the Belkan War. Though free and fair elections are held in Belka, they have been consistently won by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party since the first parliamentary elections in 1997 in what is considered to be a one-party dominant arrangement. A hybrid economy, the Belkan government provides social insurance and highly-subsidized healthcare and housing for its citizens, and many industries are directly controlled by the government through several state-run entities.

Belka is a member of the Assembly of Nations, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the International Economic Assistance Fund, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the G15. Belka was previously a member of the Osean Community before its suspension in the aftermath of the Pacific War in 2010. Belka is globally recognized for its premier status and reputation in manufacturing, scientific research, and technological development. Despite its relatively small size and ongoing economic recovery, Belka is the world's seventh-largest economy, with its primary economic partners being Yuktobania, Erusea, and Wellow. In global trade, Belka is the world's fourth-largest importer and exporter, with its primary exports being electronics, particularly semiconductors, military hardware, and advanced industrial machinery, and its primary import being food.