Geography of the Republic
The Republic of Preoria has four distinct geographical regions, the northern area is referred to as the Highlands, it is an area scarred by glaciation with many hills and small mountains sitting at relatively high elevation. The highest point in the country lies here, Mynydd yr Eryr, a mountain with an elevation of 1450m. The majority of the country lies in the Central and Coastal Lowlands, this is where the majority of the Republic's large cities are and where the majority of it's agriculture takes place. Then there are the two Islands, Arryant, to the immediate south of the mainland, which is similar to the Lowlands in it's geographic disposition, and the Isle of Gwylan, further out to sea in the Krimeon, a heavily forested island dotted with extinct-volcanoes.
Map
Major Cities
Caerfyrddin
Caerfyrddin is a coastal city and capital of the Republic, it is the seat of the Republic's government and is both it's wealthiest and largest city at 6.7 million people. It lies at the mouth of the river Wyeden which feeds into the Eastern Channel, part of the Krimeon Sea. Caerfyrddin can trace it's founding back to the historic town of the same name, originally settled in 765 by the native Deceangl people. It was primarily a fishing town up until the year 1049, when the territory was taken over by the Kingdom of Llywnbeli after their armies crossed the channel from the Island of Arryant. In 1140 the Llywnbeli King Edris II decided to move his capital to the town which resulted in it seeing a major boom in population and investment, Cadogan Castle was raised in the city to command the primary river crossing which also served as the residence of the Monarch until the similarly named Cadogan Palace was built in 1309 after the Union of Crowns in the previous century which saw the nation renamed as the Kingdom of Preoria.
The city eventually suffered from a major fire in 1452 which raised much of the original settlement, however over the next 50 years saw many of it's buildings rebuilt in brick and limestone with the new layout of the city built around the great Caerfyrddin Stones, a circular temple that had survived the fires built to honour Glyndwr, chief of the pantheon of the unique branch of Celtic faith that had been established in the region for centuries before the coming of the Llywnbeli. The city did not see another major catastrophe until in 1683 where Griffith's Rebellion, a major uprising of the peasantry which, sacked the city after defeating the Army of King Pendry VI.
It wasn't until the late 1700's where the city began undergoing a major transformation from the burgeoning industrial revolution, factories replaced many ancient crumbling structures and a series of dockyards sprung up along the river Wyeden. The city also began to become home to many groups who were beginning to embrace ideas such as Republicanism and other fledgling ideas. These thinkers eventually inspired the Great Upheaval of 1822, where the commoners revolted against the increasingly unpopular monarchy, which had since fled from their historic seat of power in Caerfyrddin, back over the sea to Llywnbelan in the previous decade. Northern Armies from the Highlands entered the city as part of their Coastal Campaign in 1827 and routed the last Monarchist forces from the mainland, converting the former Cadogan Palace into the People's Palace, which is still a popular modern attraction of the city.
Modern Caerfyrddin is a highly developed city, keeping it's position as a central hub for many industries and businesses. It still retains many ancient landmarks from throughout it's history and is home to several large Museums such as the Preorian Museum of Natural History.
Dungannon
The most northerly and fourth largest city in the Republic, Dungannon is firmly rooted in the Highlands of Preoria. It is unknown when the city officially was founded, as it was periodically used as a gathering point of many Highland tribes, but from 790 onwards it was recognized as being the site of the capital of the former Kingdom of Durcáinuntil until it united with the Kingdom of Llywnbeli in 1237 after Durcáinian King Braon died and Prince Carwyn of the Llywnbeli inherited both kingdoms as the only eligible heir of either, resulting in their union.
Dungannon has always been known for it's many castles and fortresses that are located in it's suburbs and the city proper, subsequent generations of Monarchs built many such structures in the North to deter rebellion due to the difficulties in communicating through the mountains, and now many of the ruins are celebrated cultural heritage sites of the Highland people despite their origins as a tool of suppression.
Dungannon, despite it's position far from any seas, still managed to establish itself as a major source of natural resources, being known as the "Granite City" for both it's grey appearance from the usage of the stone as a building material and for it's natural wealth. The city suffered many uprisings in it's history as a result of this however, as many locals for centuries saw the Monarchy in the south as sapping resources and wealth from the North to enrich itself, eventually culminating in Dungannon being the first city to declare independence from the Kingdom of Preoria in 1821, the resulting instability saw a Royalist Army attempt to regain control and it's subsequent defeat sparked the Great Upheaval the following year, where the newly declared Republic of Preoria drove the Royalists south and eventually off of the mainland entirely.
To this day Dungannon is honoured as the 'spiritual capital' of the Republic, and many monuments to the Upheaval can be found in the city today.
Landmarks
[WIP]