Nordland

**Nordland** (Nordish: *Nordland*), officially the **Kingdom of Nordland** (Nordish: *Keriget Nordland*), bordered by Framland to the east and north, with maritime borders with Mornguard to the southeast and the Velkanian Isles to the west. Its capital and most-populous city is Vadhelle, located on the southeastern coast of the country. Nordland has a population of about 8.5 million inhabitants.

Organized civilization first began in the territory of modern-Nordland in the 2nd-century, with various small city-states and kingdoms being established. Nordish settlers soon left to form settlements in modern-day Mornguard and the Velkanian Isles, being some of the earliest explorers in history. The territory was unified in the 10th-century, with the formation of the Kingdom of Nordland. Nordland existed as a small but prominent monarchy for several centuries, until being conquered by the Kingdom of Framland in the 18th-century and incorporated into their territorial empire. Nordland existed as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Framland for over a century, until they were peacefully granted the restoration of their independence in the 19th-century. After restoring their independence, their monarchy's power was also restored.

After its initial unification, Nordland established itself as an absolute monarchy. Its head of state and head of government was the Monarch, holding all powers over the state. Following its conquer by Framland and its restoration of independence in 1883, Nordland reformed itself as a constitutional monarchy. Now, the Monarch acts solely as the ceremonial head of state, with no real powers besides those they exercise for ceremonial functions. The chief politician of the country and head of government is the Prime Minister. Typically the leader of the governing coalition in parliament, the Prime Minister is in charge of legislation, acts as the chief international diplomat and ambassador of Nordland, and heads a council of ministers tasked with drafting legislation. The Thusting is the unicameral parliament of Nordland, with 245-seats, with three-quarters of the seats being allocated through electoral lists, and one-quarter through single-member constituencies.

While Nordland has a population of 8.5 million residents, the government does not take records of ethnic groups. It is estimated that 78.9% of the population was born to at least one Nordish parent and holds Nordish citizenship by birthright, while the remaining the remaining 11.1% are of immigrant origin, primarily coming from Tarfica and Eastern Eurea. The sole official and nation language of Nordland is Nordish, a Laposcandian language. Nordish is closely related to the Framish and Mornguardian languages, to the point where they form a dialect continuum, and the standardized versions of all three are mutually intelligible; this has resulted in close relations between the three nations' politics, entertainment, populations, and cultures. Kupmi, a Mundaric language, is recognized as an official minority language of Nordland, chiefly spoken in the far-north of the country by the Kupmi ethnic minority, an indigenous group to Nordland, Framland, Osland, and northern Kasha. Nordland is one of the most irreligious nations in the world; approximately 48.6% of the population identifies as Christian, with 39.1% as members of the Church of Nordland, 3.1% as nondenominational Christians, and 6.4% as members of other Christian churches. 8.8% of the population identifies as belonging to another religion, while 42.6% identifies as irreligious, agnostic, or atheist. Weekly religious attendance is also very low, numbering only 11.7%.

Due to oil and gas reserves discovered in the 1940s, Nordland has become one of the richest nations in the world; its GDP per capita is second to only Colora, while Nordland also ranks highly in terms of economic development, human development, education, happiness, freedoms, and overall quality of life.