User:Lindenholt/sandbox

The Commonwealth of Cornelian States (COCS) (: Gemenebest van Cornelische Staten), is a large country situated on the continent of North Cornelia. The Commonwealth or simply: Cornelia, as it is commonly known, is a federal republic which consists of 37 states. The states enjoy a high degree of autonomy while the federal government takes care of matters such as defence and foreign policy. The nation is officially bilingual as all federal government services are provided in and. The states are free to choose their own linguistic status, however compromises between the states have made it so that there is an even eighteen-to-eighteen split between Lindian and Rewish speaking states. Qarmaqland, the 37th state, recognizes both languages, but prioritizes the usage of its own.

The Commonwealth's landmass of x square kilometres is inhabited by x amount of people. Around x% of the Commonwealth's inhabitants live in a Lindian-speaking state, whereas the majority of the country's landmass is made up by Rewish-speaking states. The nation's capital, Welward, is also its largest city. Its second largest city, Groenerhaven, lies in the Lindian-speaking area whereas the country's third and fourth largest cities are x and x - both within the Rewish-speaking states of x and x, respectively.

The country's first inhabitants were the so-called, which had migrated to the North Cornelian continent near the end of the most recent (ca. 12,000 years ago). These first colonists of Cornelia were paleolithic hunter gatherers which crossed a landbridge from Sericia to modern day x. There is evidence that agriculture first developed in the Kapawee river basin around 7,000 years ago. The various native cultures, or tribes, existed relatively isolated from each other until the arrival of the Vesteans.

By 1700 the country's east coast had been completely claimed by Lindian settlers in the north and Nordalan settlers in the south. The earliest Lindian colonisation efforts in the 1600's were primarily made by private enterprises seeking to profit from selling land to those that wanted to leave Vestea for the New World. Because of this the Lindian colonies were constantly competing, whereas the Nordalan colonies were more cooperative due to them being owned by the Nordalan Crown. Seeing this success, the Lindian States General seized most privately owned colonies by the 1690's.

Throughout the 18th century both the Nordalan and Lindian colonies had grown to become economically dependent on each other. The Nordalan colonies bought timber, ores and processed goods from the more industrialized north; whereas the more agriculture oriented south supplied the Lindian colonies with grains and [stuff from the caribbean]. The porous border between the colonies, and the strengthening of ties that occurred during Charles Guildelew's reign over both countries made this bond between the colonies even stronger.

A war in Vestea in the late 1700's saw Lindenholt occupied by another power, effectively making Nordal's long time ally an enemy in the raging war. The Lindian colonies were quick to declare themselves neutral after Artwingen surrendered; a decision that was quickly overturned by several governors loyal to the occupying powers. Lacking the political will and resources to fight a land war in Cornelia, Nordal embargoed and blockaded the Lindian colonies. The blockade was as much a death sentence to the Lindian colonies' economies as it was to the Nordalan colonies'.

Protests and riots in both nation's colonies eventually erupted in to the War of Independence. The colonies' merger is marked by Lindian resistance leader x and Nordalan resistance leader x signing the Declaration of Dependence, confirming that both former colonies are "...a brotherly people, deeply connected in their commerce and trade as well as in their desire for liberty [...] whose commitment to form a Commonwealth with the goal of taming this continent, overcoming their differences and [...] is certain and unquestionable."

1. Welward 2. South Durnham 3. North Durnham 4. New Sutton 5. Winstead 6. New Teeshire 7. Kornow 8. West Teeshire 9. New Cwynshire 10. Bearnshire 11. Corpeland 12. East Laradenia 13. West Laradenia 14. Okanaland 15. Sequnda 16. Corvallis 17. Hidmeria 18. Hartware 19. Qarmaqland 20. Omasik 21. Hoogbrand 22. Grootvlakte 23. Tatutopa 24. Ongerept 25. Schilde 26. Driesprong 27. Kapwee 28. Virentia 29. Onodawa 30. Kehodee 31. Noordkant 32. Prinsenland 33. Groenewaard 34. Overzande 35. Onkewene 36. Nieuwe Heelde 37. Fensalir