Gornia

**Gornia** (Gornian: *Gorna*; Lorbian: *Горна*, *Gorna*; Horvatian: *Gorna*), officially the **Republic of Gornia** (Gornian: *Respublika s Gorne*; Lorbian: *Республика с Горне*, *Respublika s Gorne*; Horvatian: *Respublika s Gorne*), is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Eurea, bordered by Asbania to the northeast, Lima to the south, Travenia to the south and east, and Lorbia to the north, northwest, and west. Its capital and most-populous city is Dotivar, located in the northeast of the country. Gornia has a population of about 4.7 million inhabitants.

Organized civilization first began in the territory of modern-Gornia in the 7th-century, with the establishment of numerous small city-states settled by explorers from modern-day Berat and Borgizstan. By the 11th-century, the territory had been totally conquered by the Kingdom of Lorbia, being completely annexed into the kingdom as unorganized territory. In the 19th-century, the Kingdom of Lorbia had unified with the neighboring Kingdom of Horvatia after the marriage of their respective monarchs, resulting in the creation of the Kingdom of Alaslavia. The Kingdom of Alaslavia became one of the most politically powerful states in the region, conquering the neighboring Snubian Protectorate from the Lungarian Empire in 1867. In the 20th-century, a *coup d'état* occurred, deposing of the monarchy and imposing a fascist regime in a similar vein to the Kashan Union, referred to as the Federal Republic of Alaslavia (FR Alaslavia). Civil liberties and freedoms were greatly diminished in the era of FR Alaslavia, although not to the extreme extent that they were in the Kashan Union. FR Alaslavia disbanded in the 1990s, amidst mounting international pressure following the disbandment of the Kashan Union several years prior, and the state broke up into several independent nations, with Gornia receiving their independence in 1994. Following the break-up of FR Alaslavia, the newly independent Republic of Lorbia wished to expand their territory, and invaded Gornia. This resulted in the Gornian War (1994–1998). During the Gornian War, Lorbia committed mass atrocities against the Gorniak ethnic group, which was not ended until international intervention in 1998.

After its independence, Gornia first established itself as a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic. However, the impact of the Gornian War led to the nation changing its political system after receiving international assistance in repairing damaged relations between the three main ethnic groups of the nation. Since 1998, Gornia has functioned as a federal parliamentary constitutional republic. It consists of three ethnoregions, each inhabited by its own ethnic group, with their own regional government. The position of the head of state of the federal government is shared by the Presidential Council. The Presidential Council consists of three co-presidents, who each represent one of the nation's three ethnic groups. Each of the co-presidents share an equal amount of power, and act as ceremonial figureheads, uniting their ethnic groups and the nation. The Presidential Council is tasked with formally appointing ministers and serving as co-commanders-in-chief of the military, although they hold no veto power. Each president serves a three-year term that may be renewed twice, and they are elected in separate elections held on alternating years, where only their own ethnic group may vote. Most political power is vested in the Chair of the Council of Ministers, who serves as the head of government, a role akin to a Prime Minister. The Chair is typically the leader of the governing coalition in parliament, and can be held by a member of any ethnic group. They act as the chief legislature of the nation, and are tasked with implementing their policy agenda and leading a council of ministers. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Peoples – the 15-seat upper house where each ethnic group is allocated the same amount of seats – and the House of Representatives – the 155-seat lower house where seats are allocated at-large through electoral lists.

Gornia's population of about 4.7 million inhabitants is mainly divided across its three primary ethnic groups: about 56.4% identifies as Gorniak, the native ethnic group to the region, 23.9% as Lorbian, who settled *en masse* in Gornia after its annexation by the Kingdom of Lorbia, and 17.5% as Horvatian, the majority of whom migrated from Horvatia to Gornia in the 17th-century. The remaining 2.2% identifies as other ethnic groups, primarily from neighboring nations. There are three official languages of Gornia: Gornian, Lorbian, and Horvatian, all Slavoric languages. All three languages are considered to be closely related dialects of a shared Alaslavian language and are mutually intelligible, yet the languages were divided for political reasons following the breakup of Alaslavia. Gornian and Horvatian are almost absolutely identical, while spoken Lorbian is identical to the others, although its written form is in a different alphabet. Despite the languages generally being identical, street signs and government documents are required to be written in all three. The religions of Gornia are also broken up by ethnic divides; approximately 52.1% of the population adheres to Eurean Islam, 20.6% to Eastern Eurean Christianity, 13.9% to Eurean Catholicism, 1.2% identifies with other religions, while 12.2% identifies as atheist, agnostic, or irreligious. An overwhelming majority of Gorniaks are Eurean Muslim, Lorbians are Eastern Eurean Christians, and Horvatians are Eurean Catholics. Weekly religious attendance stands around 26.4% of the population, with little changes across ethnic or religious lines.