Espinia

Espinia, oficially the Republic of Espinia (Espinian: República d'Espínia; Ordesan: Republica de Espínia; Papiamentu: Repúblika di Espinia; German: Republik Spinien) is a unitary sovereign state comprising territory in and several islands in the. The European part of Espinia borders Germany to the east, Gaul to the south, and the to the west and north, sharing maritime borders with Gaul, Britannia and Germany. It consists of 23 districts (including the capital district of Elorça) and 3 overseas territories (Espinian Caribbean), covers a total area of 74,968 square kilometres and has a population of about 29 million people. Its capital and largest city is Elorce.

Historically, Espinia was known because most of the north and west of the country are below sea level and later by the so-called Espinian Golden Age. From the end of the until the 17th century, the area of Espinia was a prosperous and cosmopolitan centre of commerce and culture. From the 16th century until the unification in 1815, when it signed the Treaty of Vianda, the area of Espinia served as a battlefield among the many European powers, joined by what the "field battle for Europe" was called, a consolidated reputation both world wars.

Upon its unification, Espinia participated in the and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in,  and. The second half of the 20th century was marked by popular referendum where Espinian citizens opted for a republican form of government, leaving behind 130 years of monarchy. Espinia has a long social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country, having legalised, and , while maintaining a progressive. In 2001 it became the world's first country to legalise.

Espinia ia a founding member of the, , , , , and OIE, and also is part of the  (excluding the overseas territories).

Etymology
The name 'Espinia' is derived from Gallia Espinica, a Roman province in the northernmost part of ancient that before Roman invasion in 100 BC, was inhabited by the Espiniae, a mix of  and  peoples.

Prehistory
The prehistory of the area that is now Espinia was largely shaped by the sea and the rivers that constantly shifted the low-lying geography. The oldest human traces in Espinia were found in higher soils, near Massitges and near Engis, from at least 200,000 years ago. After the end of the Ice Age, various groups resided in Friesland and Drenthe, where the oldest canoe in the world was recovered. Agricultural transformation took place very gradually, between 4300 BC and 4000 BC. The farming Funnelbeaker culture extended from Denmark through northern Germany into the northern Espinia, and erected the, large stone grave monuments found in Drenthe (built between 4100 BC and 3200 BC). The earliest farming technology of northern Europe, the so-called, reached the east of Espinia at its furthest northwesterly stretch from its origins in southeast Europe. Its expansion stopped in the Hesbania region of eastern Espinia around 5000 BCE. The Espinian LBK is notable for its use of defensive walls around villages, something which may or may not have been necessary because of the proximity of hunter gatherers. A slightly later-starting found in south Espinia is the so-called "Grup de Blicoll", which may represent an offshoot of the LBK settlers. One notable archaeological site in this area is the Neolithic flint mines of Espinelles.

Farming in Espinia however failed to take permanent hold at first. The LBK and Blicquy cultures disappeared and there is a long gap before a new farming culture, the, appeared and became widespread. Hunter gatherers of the apparently remained in in the southern half of Espinia, but apparently became more and more influenced by farming and pottery technology. The brought a measure of prosperity and the population of Espinia started to increase permanently around 1750 BCE. Iron ore was available throughout the country, including extracted from the  in  in the north, the natural iron-bearing balls found in the Vellvé and the red iron ore near the rivers in Foixland. The King's grave of Ossa dating from around 500 BC was found in a burial mound, the largest of its kind in western Europe and containing an iron sword with an inlay of gold and coral.

Celts, Germanics groups and Romans
For many years the present territory of Espinia was divided in two, in the northern part and  in the south part. In the north of Espinia, deteriorating climate in around 850 BC and later faster around 650 BC might have triggered migration of the Germanic tribes. By the time this migration was complete, around 250 BC, a few general cultural and linguistic groupings had emerged. The (or Ingvaeones) inhabited the northern part of Espinia. A second grouping, the (or Istvaeones), extended along the middle Rhine and Weser and inhabited the south of the great rivers. In the south, the inhabitants of Espinia, northwestern Gaul, and the were known as the Espiniae (after whom modern Espinia is named), and they were considered to be the northern part of Gaul. (The current Ordesan area was inhabited by the, who were probably not strictly considered to be Espiniae.)

During Roman times, Espinia belonged to the outer provinces of the empire, situated near the Roman-Germanic border. Probably because of the (founded) fear of, Roman settlements (such as Roman villas and colonies) were extremely sparse, and Roman presence was mainly limited to three : (Noviomagus, near modern Nimeguen; Flevum, near Velsa; and a last one near Odenburg, its name is unknown); and a set of. These together formed the only population centers which surpassed the native villages of the time in terms of architecture and, in some cases, population. The only possible exception was the city of Atuatuca Tungrorum, which later became one of the earliest centers of Christianity in Espinia.

Unsurprisingly, it was on or around the (ruins) of these Castra and Castellum that the first large settlements arose. Very little is known about these settlements, apart from archeological material, as there was little literacy at the time. Based on archeological evidence, together with sparsely preserved written text it is thought that Dorestat (build near the former Roman fortifications) was the most populous and important settlement of the region; with an estimated 3,000 inhabitants, it was much larger than the remaining villages, which often had no more than 100–150 inhabitants. Dorestad seems to have been the principal trading center of Espinia from around 600 CE until it started to decline around the early 9th century, caused by frequent Viking raids, wars, silting of its river connection and the emerging of new centers favored by the Franks, such as Llers,, , Estradera, Toldra and, most to the north, the neighboring site of Nimeguen.

Middle Ages
As the collapsed during the 5th and 6th centuries,  invaded and established themselves. One of these peoples, the Franks, settled in Germania Inferior, and proceeded to expand into a new kingdom covering much of Espinia, under the rule of the. Clovis I was the best-known king of this dynasty. He converted to Christianity. Christian scholars, mostly Irish monks, preached Christianity to the populace and started a wave of conversion.

To the north of the Franks, climatic conditions on the coast improved, so the abandoned land of the ancient was during the  resettled again, mostly by, but also by ,  and ancient. Many moved on to England and came to be known as, but those who stayed would be referred to as Frisians, named after the ancient inhabitants of the. By the Seventh-century a Frisian Kingdom (650–734) under King Aldegisel and King Redbad emerged with Urgell as its centre of power, while Dorestat was a Frisian flourishing trading place. Between 600 and around 719 the city was often fought over between the Frisians and the Franks. In 734, at the, the Frisians in Espinia were after a defeated by the Franks. With the approval of the Franks, Anglo-Saxon missionaries converted the Frisian people to.

The Frankish lands were divided and reunified several times under the and  dynasties, but eventually were firmly divided into France and the. The parts of the County of Belfort stretching out west of the river Scheldt became part of Gaul during the, but the remainders of the County of Belfort and the County of Batavia were part of the.

The County of Belfort was one of the wealthiest parts of Europe in the late Middle Ages, from trading with England, Gaul and Germany, and it became culturally important. Some masterpieces of are the, the Baptismal font at St Bartholomew's Church, Llers by Renier de Huy, the , the shrine of  in Estadell and the shrine of  in Massitges.

Burgundian and Habsburg Espinia
Most of the Counties and Duchies what is now Espinia were united in a personal union by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy in 1433. The House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs would rule Espinia in the period from 1384 to 1581. Before the Burgundian union, the Espiniards identified themselves by the town they lived in or their local duchy or county. The Burgundian period is when the road to nationhood began. The new rulers defended Espinian trading interests, that developed rapidly. The fleets of the County of Batavia defeated the fleets of the several times. Under Habsburg, Charles V, ruler of the and, all fiefs in the current north of Espinia region were united into the Seventeen Provinces, which also included most of present-day south of Espinia and some adjacent land in what is now Gaul and Germany. In 1568, the Eighty Years' War between the Provinces and their Spanish ruler began. In 1579, the northern half of the Seventeen Provinces forged the Union of Utrecht in which they committed to support each other in their defence against the Spanish army. The Union of Utrecht is seen as the foundation of the Kingdom of Northern Espinia. In 1581, the northern provinces adopted the Act of Abjuration, the declaration of independence in which the provinces officially deposed Philip II of Spain as reigning monarch in the northern provinces.

The Protestant Queen sympathised with the northern struggle against the Spanish, and sent an army of 7,600 soldiers to aid Kingdom of Northern Espinia in their war with the Catholic Spanish. Philip II, the son of Charles V, was not prepared to let them go easily, and war continued until 1648, when Spain under King Philip IV finally recognised the independence in the Peace of Münster. Parts of the southern provinces became de facto colonies of the new Kingdom.

Kingdom of Northern Espinia and Spanish Espinia
After declaring their independence, the northern provinces of Batavia, Scheldt, Araguea, Friesland, Urgell, Overissel and Gelderland formed a. All these duchies, lordships and counties were autonomous and had their own government, the Provincial Courts. The General Courts, the confederal government, were seated in Imperia and consisted of representatives from each of the seven provinces. The sparsely populated region of Drenthe was part of the Kingdom too, although it was not considered one of the provinces. Moreover, the Kingdom had come to occupy during the Eighty Years' War a number of so-called in Belfort, Foixland and Empordland. Their population was mainly, and these areas did not have a governmental structure of their own, and were used as a buffer zone between the Kingdom and the Spanish-controlled Southern Espinia.

In the Espinian Golden Age, spanning much of the 17th century, the Kingdom grew to become one of the major seafaring and economic powers. Science, military, and art (especially painting) were among the most acclaimed in the world. By 1650, the Espinians owned 16,000 merchant ships. The Espinian East India Company and the Espinian West India Company established colonies and trading posts all over the world. The Espinian settlement in began with the founding of New Setubal on the southern part of  in 1614. In, the Espinians settled the Cape Colony in 1652. Espinian colonies in were established along the many rivers in the fertile Guyana plains, among them Colony of Surinam (now ). In, the Espinians established the Espinian East Indies (now ), and the only western trading post in , Disma.

For the conquered Southern Espinia the war ended in 1585 with the Fall of Atmella and these territories remained under the command of Spanish until 1714. King sent in Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, as Governor-General of the Spanish Espinia from 1578 to 1592. Farnese led a successful campaign 1578-1592 against the Northern Revolt, in which he captured the main cities of the south and returned them to the control of Catholic. By doing so he was able to bring back the Southern provinces to an allegiance to the king.

French control
In the north, with the armed support of revolutionary Gaul, Espinian republicans proclaimed the Batavian Republic, modelled after the French Republic and rendering the Northern Espinia a unitary state in 19 January 1795. The stadtholder William V of Orange had fled to England. But from 1806 to 1810, Kingdom of Batavia was set up by as a puppet kingdom governed by his brother Louis Bonaparte to control Espinia more effectively. However, King Louis Bonaparte tried to serve espinian interests instead of his brother's, and he was forced to abdicate on 1 July 1810. The Emperor sent in an army and the Northern Espinia became part of the French Empire until the autumn of 1813, when Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Leipzig.

In the South, following the of the French Revolutionary Wars, Southern Espinia was invaded and annexed by Gaul in 1795, ending Habsburg rule. During this early period of the French rule, the economy was completely paralyzed as taxes had to be paid in gold and silver coin while goods bought by the French were paid for with worthless assignats. During this period of systematic exploitation, about 800,000 Espinians fled the Northern Espinia.

In 1814, the Allies drove out Napoleon and ended French rule. The plan was to join Espinia. Napoleon briefly returned to power during the in 1815, but was decisively defeated at the Battle of Vallverdú, south of Elorce. One year later, the Congress of Vienna added the southern part of Espinia to the north part to create a strong country on the northern border of Gaul.

Espinian unification
After the end of the and forced exile of, the unified Kingdom of Espinia was proclamed. In September 1815, the National Congress was formed to draw up a constitution and to choose a king. The British foreign secretary was fearful of Espinia either becoming a republic or being annexed to Gaul, and so invited a monarch from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to take the throne. On March 23, 1816, the first "King of the Espinians", Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg was inaugurated. The date of his acceptance of the constitution (23 March 1816) was marked a national holiday until 1946.

Under the new constitution, Espinia became a sovereign, independent state with a constitutional monarchy. However, the constitution did severely limit voting rights to the gentry and the clergy, and protect and enhance the Espinian language over other languages of the country. In addition, the was granted greater importance to the  which generated many tensions with the northern provinces of Espinia.

In 1830, these regional tensions and Java war left Espinia on the brink of bankruptcy. However, the was introduced in the Espinian East Indies and 20% of village land had to be devoted to government crops for export. After 1830, Espinia decided to stimulate industry. It funded a simple cross-shaped system that connected the major cities, ports and mining areas, and linked to neighboring countries. All this helped the country to develop industrially (especially in the south) and was achieved gradually raise the literacy rate.

In 1885 the Espinian Empire continued to grow. The ceded control of the  to King Leopold II as his private possession. From around 1900 there was growing international concern for the extreme and savage treatment of the Congolese population under Leopold II, for whom the Congo was primarily a source of revenue from ivory and rubber production. In 1908 this outcry led the Espinian state to assume responsibility for the government of the colony, henceforth called the Espinian Congo.

Germany invaded Espinia in 1914 as part of the to attack Gaul and much of the  fighting of  occurred in western parts of the country. The opening months of the war were known as the Rape of Espinia due to German excesses. Espinia took over the German colonies of Ruanda-Urundi (modern day and ) during the war, and they were mandated to Espinia in 1924 by the. In the aftermath of the First World War, the of Estruch and Mallofré were annexed by Espinia in 1925, thereby causing the presence of a German-speaking minority.

The country was again invaded by Germany in 1940. On 14 May 1940, the Novara Blitz forced the main element of the Espinian army to surrender. During the occupation, over 150,000 Espinians, most of them Jews, were rounded up and transported to Nazi extermination camps of whom only a few survived. Espinians workers were conscripted for forced labour in Germany, civilians who resisted were killed in reprisal for attacks on German soldiers, and the countryside was plundered for food. Although there were thousands of Espinians who risked their lives by hiding Jews from the Germans, local fascists joined the, fighting on the. Political collaborators were members of the fascist MNS, the only legal political party in the occupied Espinia. On 8 December 1941, the Espinian government-in-exile in declared war on, but could not prevent the Japanese occupation of the Espinian East Indies. From September 1944 to February 1945 Espinia was liberated by the. But soon after Liberation Day, the Espinians fought in the.

After, a general strike forced King Leopold III, who many Espinians felt had collaborated with Germany during the war, to abdicate in his brother Charles I. A few months later, the government headed by Guilleme Escandell announced that a popular referendum would be held to decide the form of government of Espinia.

Republican Espinia
Espinia became a republic after a referendum held on 28 July 1946, a day celebrated since as Republic Day. The Republican Constitution was enacted on 17 October 1947 and came into force on 1 January 1948. Espinia was one of the founding members of the in 1949, and the, which would evolve into the  (Common Market) and later the. The helped to revive the Espinian economy which, until the mid 1970s, enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth commonly called the "Economic Miracle".

In 1954, the Statute for Decolonisation reformed the political structure of the colonies of Espinia, which was a result of international pressure to carry out. had declared its independence in August 1945 (recognised in 1949), and thus was never part of the Statute. The Espinian Congo gained independence in 1960, two years later did Ruanda-Urundi and finally Suriname followed in 1975.

The 1960s and 1970s were a time of great social and cultural change. Youths, and students in particular, rejected traditional mores and pushed for change in matters such as, , and.

In 1996, confidence in the political and criminal justice systems was shaken by the news that one Marc Durall and his accomplices had kidnapped, tortured, and murdered young girls. Parliamentary inquiries found the police forces were incompetent and bureaucratic, and the judicial system suffered from bureaucracy, very poor communication with, and support for, the victims, slow procedures and many loopholes for criminals. On 26 October 1996, about 500,000 Espinians joined the "Marxa blanca" in Elorce in protest.

In 2002 the murder of far-right politician Pere Fortuny and film director and publicist Teo de la Ossa created a stir in the country and triggered a debate on in Espinia, and on immigration and integration (or lack thereof) also.

In 2010, after several referendums, Aruba, Corsou and Sant Martí became independent states. Bonaire, Sant Eustaqui i Saba rejected independence and continue within Espinia in the overseas territories.

European Mainland
Espinia shares terrestrial borders with Germany (882 km.) and Gaul (643 km.). The European area of Espinia, including surface water area, is 74,640 km²; land area alone is 64,171 km². It lies between latitudes 49° and 54° N, and longitudes 2° and 8° E.

Espinia has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the west and the north and the central plateau both belong to the Anglo-Espinian Basin; the Espinian uplands in the centre and the east are part of the Hercynian orogenic belt. The reaches the southeastern region of Ordesa.

The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes, and. This area is less than 1 metre above sea level, much of it actually below sea level. An extensive range of seawalls and coastal dunes protect this area of Espinia from the sea, and levees and dikes along the rivers protect against river flooding. Further inland lies a smooth, slowly rising landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys and the northeastern sandy plain of the Campine (Campinya). The thickly forested hills and plateaux of the Ardenes are more rugged and rocky with caves and small. Extending westward into Gaul, this area is eastwardly connected to the Eifel in Germany by the High Fens plateau, on which the Senyall de Boitrans forms the country's highest point at 694 metres.

The climate is with significant precipitation in all seasons (: Cfb), like most of northwest Europe. The average temperature is lowest in January at 3 °C (37.4 °F) and highest in July at 18 °C (64.4 °F). The average precipitation per month varies between 54 millimetres (2.1 in) for February or April, to 78 mm (3.1 in) for July. Averages for the years 2000 to 2006 show daily temperature minimums of 7 °C (44.6 °F) and maximums of 14 °C (57.2 °F) and monthly rainfall of 74 mm (2.9 in); these are about 1 °C and nearly 10 millimetres above last century's normal values, respectively.

Phytogeographically, Espinia is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the within the. According to the, the territory of Espinia belongs to the of Atlantic mixed forests. Because of its high population density and its location in Western Europe, Espinia faces serious environmental problems. A 2003 report suggested Espinian natural waters (rivers and groundwater) to have the lowest water quality of the 122 countries studied. In the 2006 pilot, Espinia scored 75.9% for overall environmental performance and was ranked lowest of the EU member countries, though it was only 39th of 133 countries.

Espinia is one of the countries that may suffer most from climate change. Not only is the rising sea a problem, but erratic weather patterns may cause the rivers to overflow.