Meshtla

**Selvia** (Spanish:
*Selvia*, Miskiso: *Meshtla*), officially the **Democratic State of**
Selvia **(Spanish: *Estado Democrático de Selvia*), is one of the states**
that form the Republic; located in the central-eastern zone of it, with an area
of 31,848 square kilometers. Formerly a colony of Spain, it’s new
post-independence life is marked by strong tensions between the different
ethnic groups and fierce opposition to the Spanish colonial legacy in all
spheres of public and private life. During the last census (2017), it was
established that the state had a population of 657,842.

Selvia is geographically isolated from its surrounding
states thanks to mountainous ranges, and it’s centered around the Selvian Sea.
Although the former capital (and still largest city), San Jacinto, is located
in the southeast of the country; the current capital, Kunaÿpé, has shifted most
political and economic activity to the northwest.

It borders Minlành, Hampton and At-Turab on the north;
Alania on the east and southeast; and Nova Catalunya and Tir Na GCorcaighNua on
the west.

Originally, a subsistence economy, the state has found
prosperity in oil producing in the past years; although the wealth is still
very unevenly distributed. There is an ongoing pro-independence movement lead
by the current governing party: The Selvian Independence Coalition (SI).

**1.**
Geography and Demographics

**1.1.**
Administrative divisions

Selvia is divided
into fourteen provinces. Each province has a capital and is further divided
into municipalities.

The latest census
(2017) also revealed some interesting numbers and patterns regarding the ethnic
composition of the provinces. Both the Tlaa and the non-Tlaa tribes of Selvia
are concentrated on the northwest of the country (although the former prefer
the coast and the latter the mountains); the Afro-descendant Selvians are
concentrated on the north; the European Selvians are concentrated on the south;
and the Miskiso form the majority in most provinces (except for Ororo, Aiake
and Waÿpé).

**1.2.**
  Languages

The fact of belonging
to a specific ethnic group tells a lot about the mother tongue of a Selvian. In
order to identify oneself as a member of a given ethnic group, one must have as
mother tongue the language (or any of the languages) associated with that
ethnic group (as per the laws regarding the 2017 Census):

**Miskiso:** Miskiso, Meshtlan.

**European Selvian:** Spanish,
Catalan, Galician, Basque, Portuguese, Asturian.

**Tlaa:** Meshtlan.

**Afro-descendant Selvian:** Miskiso.

**Other tribes:** the 10 languages associated with the non-Tlaa tribes (Güia, Ichang,
Mfule, North Kaiake, South Kaiake, Sesũ, Bakaian, Arakaian, Le’e, Poutl).

Therefore, any person whose mother tongue wasn’t any
of the aforementioned, would be catalogued as ‘other’ in the Census. On the
other hand, the census had to break down the Miskiso and European Selvian
groups to gather linguistic information about both.

In conclusion, the linguistic reality of Selvia can be
summarized by the following table. It is worth noting that even though Spanish
is an official language, it is only natively spoken by less than 6% of the
Selvian population (and any native speakers of English, the other official
language, are grouped under ‘other languages’ and are less than 0,71% of the
state’s population). This situation has been used as one of the arguments for
Selvian independence and a new state policy regarding languages.

**2.**
   Transportation

Transport in Selvia
heavily relies on roads, given the relatively small distances between the major
cities and the lack of infrastructure for railroads (as of July 2017, there are
no kilometers of railroads but there is one project to link Kunaÿpé and San Jacinto)
and efficient harbors. The only airport of the state is the one that serves San
Jacinto (Mario González del Río Airport of San Jacinto), but there is a project
of creating an international airport near Kunaÿpé. There is a heliport near Ÿw̃ande.

There are only two
highways in the state:

**N-1 =** Kunaÿpé (Km 0), Florida
(Km 47), San Martín (Km 95), San Jacinto (Km 192).

**N-2 =** Kunaÿpé (Km 0),
Tlapae (Km 26),Giná (Km 88), Sotaw̃ (Km 138).

In order to reach
other provincial capitals, some substandard highways (locally called
‘stateways’) are used.

**S-3 =** Kunaÿpé – Iagu (103
kilometers)

**S-4 =**Sotaw̃ – Karara (84
kilometers)

**S-5 =** Tlapae – Shakã(88
kilometers)

**S-6 =** Florida – Villanueva (110
kilometers)

The only mainland provincial
capitals not linked through highways or stateways are Araucaria and Emouba; and
not coincidentally, both are classified as the poorest and less developed
cities of the state (in fact, next to Iagu, they are the three smallest cities
of the state). In recent years the locals have pushed for an extension of the
state’s road network, but so far, no action has been taken (Araucaria is
reached through roads connecting Arauga Province with Shasinte Province; Emouba
is reached through roads connecting Aiake Province with Waÿpé Province).