Rainlands

Coat of Arms of The Kingdom of the Rainlands

**The Kingdom of the Rainlands** (commonly, the Rainlands) is a kingdom and sovereign state located roughly in the middle of the world. It is the only country in the world where English is the state language although it has a large Welsh-speaking community which is particularly notable in the Borough of Capel Felyn, Montpierre.

The country's capital and largest city is Montpierre, and is the only city in the country with a population over one million; currently, its population is roughly three million but it is the fastest growing city in the world.

The Rainlands is the most populous country in the world and is rivalled only by The Woodlands, a kingdom to its east.

## Etymology

The name of the kingdom simply means the land of rain. Oddly, much of the north western tundra of the country is actually too cold for rain and, comparatively, it rains less in the Rainlands than in almost any other country. However, it *does* rain quite a lot.

## History

The Rainlands, although a kingdom, has historically been more of an empire, in its gradual expansion and annexation of other English-speaking territories. The oldest settlement is Stoneport which has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The borough is now the centre of much of the archaeological research in the country.

Although the land gains have been instrumental in the increasing size of the Rainlands, Rainish dominance of the seas has been absolutely crucial to maintaining power, statehood and the dominance of English as the nautical language. The Royal Navy, based at Navy Dock, Montpierre, is the oldest extant military force in the world, referred to as the Senior Service, and around which much of Rainish nationalism is centred. Its flagship, HMS Spren which led the battle for the Rainish Channel (Great Bay) is still seaworthy after hundreds of years, and sits in port in Navy Dock.

The kingdom was an absolute monarchy for much of its history but, since the ascension of King Thomas I to the throne, it has become a constitutional monarchy. However, despite the ceding of absolute power to parliament, the monarch is still heavily involved in politics and acts as the executive branch of government, held in balance by the House of Commons, who can force abdication (although it is rare).

## Cities and Urban Areas

The following is a list of the cities of the Rainlands in order from largest to smallest. Note: the cities of Wolfsborough and Montpierre are both classed as within Greater Montpierre, as are all boroughs and royal boroughs associated to it.

1. Montpierre
2. Farm Bay
3. Hamilton
4. Capel Twm
5. Castaway
6. Coralton
7. Cliffsedge

## Transportation

The current King, King Thomas I, has invested heavily into transportation across the country and internationally. Montpierre, being roughly in the centre of the country, has become the main transport hub. Railway is still the fastest way to travel across the kingdom, but the University of Montpierre is working with HM Government to develop faster ways of travelling. The first major railway completed linked Montpierre with Farm Bay, and has been extended to the Woodlands' capital city across the international bridge of friendship. This project was funded entirely by the Rainlands. There is also a major railway line to Hamilton via Capel Twm; and the longest continuous railway line connects Montpierre with Castaway in the Red Desert.

Regarding intracity transport, the Montpierre Subway is the oldest, largest, deepest and most extensive metro system in the world. For more information, see *Montpierre Subway*.

Sea transportation is also a major industry, with numerous ferry routes, naval routes, freight routes etc. across the Rainish Sea, the Sea Lake, Hell's Gate and basically anywhere there is a waterway. The Montpierre Sea Canal historically connected Central Montpierre with the Rainish Sea and the Sea Canal, but has been superseded by the Naval Canal which is deeper, wider and more direct a traverse between the Sea Lake and the Rainish Sea.