Nortminhia

Nortminhia, officially the Nortminhian Republic (Portoleonese: República Nortminhuesa) is a country in, situated on. Bordered by and  to the south and  to the east. Nortminhia has two exclaves: and.

The country has population of approximately 8 million people, making it the in Europe. With area of 121,041 km2, it's the second biggest country on the peninsula, just after Spain.

The largest city of Nortminhia is, while the nation's capital is only the 6th biggest city in the country.

Nothminhia is a   divided into 12 administrative divisions (districts). Member of the, , , , and multiple other organisations.

Kingdoms of Leon and Portugal
Alfonso IX of Leon died in 1230. King of Castile, Ferdinand III, seized opportunity and attacked Kingdom of Leon. To prevent annexation, a new king was chosen - Portuguese candidate, Sancho II was crowned. With Portuguese help, Castilian troops were pushed back.

Two kingdoms lasted under personal union for over 100 years. After death of king Peter I, two descendants partitioned lands. Ferdinand claimed the south of Portugal, while the north (Duchy of Braga) and Kingdom of Leon fell under the rule of Denis.

In 1381, Denis I merged Duchy of Braga and Kingdom of Leon, forming Nortminhia - a country located to the north of Minho province.

Expansion Eastwards
Relations between Nortminhia and its neighbours were very tense. Castile still had claims over Leon and Portugal didn't recognize Nortminhia until 1383–1385 Portuguese interregnum. King Denis married Aragonese princess and allied his nation to Aragon.

In 1452, both Nortminhia and Aragon attacked Kingdom of Castile. Two years later, after successful Battle of Ávila, Nortminhia annexed regions of Burgos, Valladolid and Santander. According to the following treaty, a personal union between Aragon and Castile was formed. Soon after, Spain was united under Aragonese crown.

In following years Nortminhia claimed Navarra, which became a free nation after fall of Castile. The country became a Nortminhian vassal, seeking protection from Spain and France. Disputed region of Rioja was divided between Navarra and Spain, with Nortminhia annexing Navarran Rioja a few years later, creating an exclave.

Renaissance was the era, when thanks to Nortminhian poets, Portuguese and Leonese people created new, Portoleonese language. It was very popular among society and soon became an official language of the Northminhian nation.

Colonial Era
In 1510 Nortminhian king sent first expedition to the New World. Soon, first town were established successfully. Colony of Venezuela was formed. Shortly after, Nortminhian colonisers expanded it south to the Amazon Rainforest and east to Guyana. Venezuela bordered Spanish and Portugal colonies.

Thanks to the colony, Nortminhia became the largest global exporter of coffee beans and cocoa. To this day, coffee drinking culture is very popular in Nortminhia.

Nortminhia has also established a trade company in Indian port of Mangalore.

Napoleonic Wars
Peninsular War broke out when the French and Spanish troops invaded and occupied Nortminhia in 1906, following Portugal in 1807. Conflict escalated in 1808 after Napoleonic France took over Spain, previously its ally, and installed Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne.

During the war, Nortminhian royal family escaped to Venezuela. Capital city was temporarily moved to New Leon (Maracay). Due to high war costs, citizens of Venezuela faced extreme poverty. Tensions between colonizers and local citizens were dangerously high. In 1812, Venezuelan nationalists stormed Royal Palace in New Leon, killing king and his only heir. Queen managed to escape, however she was never found again. In following months, Venezuela declared its independence.

Peninsular War ended on April 17th, 1814. Bonapartist king had been dethroned and interregnum period began. No rightful heir was found. In 1816 Nortminhian Parliament decided to establish a republic.

Republic of Nortminhia
First constitution of Nortminhia was declared on January 21st, 1816. This date is also recognized as the end of interregnum and therefore dissolution of the Kingdom.

In the following days, Parliament recognized independence of Venezuela. Territory of Mangalore was kept under Nortminhian influence until year 1967.

Nortminhia was neutral in both World Wars. In 1949 however, country broke its neutrality status by signing North Atlantic Treaty and joining NATO. Together with Portugal, Spain and Navarra, Nortminhia joined European Economic Community (EU's predecessor) in 1986. Nortminhia adapted Euro as its currency in 2002, replacing Nortminhian escudo.

Geography
Nortminhia is located on Iberian Peninsula between latitudes 41° and 44° N and longitudes 3° and 9° W. The Nortminhian landscape is known for both its mountainous nature in central part of the country and long ocean shores of in the north and west.

Climate
Most common climate in the country is the, characteristic for regions of Asturies, Cantabria and Galicia. With dry, warm summers and key influence of the ocean, it it similar to the  dominant in the region.

Government
Nortminhia has been a   since declaration of the republic in 1816. Current president of the country is Ricardo Rio, elected in 2019 for his second 5-year presidency.

The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house and the Senate, the upper house. Both Prime Minister and the cabinet are appointed by the President. Concha Andreu has been Nortminhian Prime Minister since 2016.

Nortminhia operates a.

Relations
Nortminhia has good relations with all of its neighbours, especially its former vassal -. Country has also got strong connection to  and. Nortminhia is a member of the and.

Mapperdonian Relations
Nortminhia is allied to Athis,  Pannonia and  New Burgundy. The nation also keeps close ties with Mazoverse nations, including Kingdom of Inkami and  Swania.

LGBTQ+ rights
Nortminhia, while still influenced by Roman Catholicism, has progressively become accepting of LGBTQ+ community. Their rights have been one of the best in Iberia for decades and are now among the best in the world. The country has wide-ranging anti-discrimination laws and is one of the few countries in the world to contain a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution. On October 6th, 2003, Nortminhia became the third nation in the world to recognize same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples have been permitted to adopt since May 23rd, 2010.

Valladolid and Braga have visible LGBT scenes, with several gay bars, nightclubs and other venues, as well as their annual pride parades.

Public transport
Nortminhia has got an impressive network of high-speed railway lines - AVEN, which connect cities all over Iberian Peninsula. As of August 2017, the AVEN system is the longest HSR network in Europe. Its stations are located in 11 out of 12 Nortminhian districts (Galiza Oriental does not have one). The most popular connection is Braga-Valladolid.

Portoleonese Language
Portoleonese is a Western Romance language originating in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the official language of Nortminhia and Venezuela. It also has co-official language status Indian Mangalore.

Portoleonese is a native language of 42 mln people.

Ethnic groups
Nortminhia is an ethnically diverse country. Most common ethnicity is Nortminhian. The following one, Galician, makes up almost 20% of the entire population and is mostly concentrated in regions of Galiza Ocidental and Galiza Oriental. There are also minor Portuguese groups (mostly in Trás-os-Montes) and Basque communities.

Religion
Christians make up over 70% of the Nortminhian population. About 25% of the population (mostly in the south-east) is Atheist or Agnostic. In addition to the Christian and Atheist communities, there are also minor Islam and Jewish groups (3.2% total).

Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the Nortminhian Republic is described in nation's constitution. It was in use since establishment of the Kingdom in Middle Ages.

The symbols incorporated into the shield are related to both kingdoms of Castile and Portugal, with the red lion representing region of Leon.

Linguavision Song Contest
Nortminhia participated in Linguavision Song Contest twice, with best result of 8th place in 8th edition with song "Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa" by Leonor Andrade.

Nortminhian broadcaster announced nation's withdrawal in June 2017, with possibility of return in future editions.