Velkanian Isles

The **Velkanian Isles** (Velkanian: *Vælkjáralla*; Framish: *Välkland*), officially the **Kingdom of the Velkanian Isles** (Velkanian: *Kórgíþö Vælkjárallata*; Framish: *Kongeriget Välkland*), is a sovereign state located in Northern Eurea. An archipelago nation, the Velkanian Isles consists of four main islands, with maritime borders with Resha to the east and the Ditrovian Kingdom to the south. Its capital and most-populous city is Narísandur, located on the southern coast of the main island of Velkania. The Velkanian Isles has a population of about 857 thousand inhabitants.

Organized civilization first began in the territory of the modern-Velkanian Isles in the 3rd-century BC by settlers from modern-day Resha, with four kingdoms being formed: the Kingdom of Velkania, the Kingdom of Arkland, the Kingdom of Thorsandur, and the Kingdom of Reyvhasi. The four kingdoms each operated independently of each other, and relations were both stable and friendly. In the 15th-century, explorers from the Kingdom of Framland arrived, conquering and annexing the four kingdoms into their own Kingdom, incorporating the newly acquired territory as the Velkanian Duchy. The Duchy remained an integral part of the Kingdom for centuries, until a growing independence movement in the 20th-century. After a successful independence referendum, the nation received their independence in 1964, becoming the last of the Framish territories to become independent.

Since receiving their independence, the Velkanian Isles has functioned as a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The Monarch is the head of state, serving as a ceremonial figurehead in Velkanian politics. The are tasked with serving as a unifying figure for the country, formally appointing all ministers and signing passed legislation into law, and greeting visiting foreign heads of state. All political power is vested in the Prime Minister, who serves as the head of government. The Prime Minister is typically the leader of the governing coalition in parliament, thus serving as the chief legislator of the nation. They are tasked with implementing their policy agenda through legislation and leading a council of ministers. The Orthing is the 105-seat unicameral legislature.

Of its population of about 857 thousand, approximately 95.5% of the population identifies as ethnically Velkanian. In this sense, Velkanian is used as a catch-all term that also includes the micro-ethnic groups the Arklandics, Thorsandurs, and Reyvhasar. The remaining 4.5% identifies as other ethnic groups, primarily those of immigrant origin, often from Framland or Resha. There are two co-official languages of the Velkanian Isles: Velkanian and Framish, both Laposcandian languages. Velkanian is the predominant language, being spoken natively by 96.1% of the population. Framish is mutually intelligible and forms a dialect continuum with the Reshan and Sudish languages, although it is only spoken natively by approximately 1.9% of the population. Most Velkanians are bilingual in both Velkanian and Framish. Arklandic, an endangered language isolate, holds official minority language status, and is spoken primarily on the island of Arkland; approximately 0.5% of the population speaks Arklandic natively, although most speakers are also fluent in Velkanian and Framish as well. The Velkanian Isles are a highly irreligious nation, with 75.6% of the population identifying as atheist, agnostic, or irreligious, while 22.7% adhere to the Church of Framland, with the remaining 1.7% adhering to other religions.