Difference between revisions of "Vasconia"

Revision as of 23:13, 12 March 2007

Vasconia is a continent located entirely in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost entirely in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by the Gulf of Vasconia and to the south by Ambara with which it is connected by a narrow isthmus. Its population is estimated at 1,538,211,220.

Etymology

Vasconia is widely accepted as having been named for the explorer Vasco de Gama, who is credited with being the first European to land on Vasconia in the late 15th century. The name was created by the Finaran cartographer, Conor Ó Cadhla, who was the first to draw a detailed and relatively accurate map of the Atlantic world which included both Vasconia and Ambara.

Geography and extent

Vasconia occuppies the northern portion of the large landmass formed by Vasconia and Ambara in the Western Atlantic. Vasconia's only land connection is to Ambara. Millions of years ago, Vasconia and Ambara were completely separated by water and they thus have largely distinct ecosystems.

Vasconia has a long and irregular coastline. The Gulf of Vasconia is the largest body of water indenting the continent although there are a great many other large gulfs and bays along both coasts of Vasconia.

There are a great many islands off the coast of Vasconia: principally the Imperial Islands, the Hipolitan Archipelago, the Gulf Islands, Kaitan-Leagran and Costa Brava. Gade, a large Nabarran island to the northeast of Donnacona and one of the largest islands in the world, is also part of Vasconia as are Thule and the Melian Islands found even further west.

Physical geography

The vast majority of Vasconia is located on the Vasconian Plate. Some parts of Laneria and Nabarro Abarca are actually on the Pacific Plate which meets the Vasconian Plate along the Maztlan Fault.

The continent can be divided into four large geographic regions: The western mountains, the vast plains of central Vasconia, the frozen plains of the far north and the varied clime of the eastern coast. All four of these geographic regions include large sections of both Laneria and Nabarro Abarca.

No official mark has been established by any official body to indicate the geographical center of the Vasconian continent. However, a private monument claiming to stand at the exact center of Vasconia has been erected by a private landowner, who has turned the monument into a for profit tourist attraction.

Human geography

The most spoken languages in Vasconia are Danish, English, French, Greek and Spanish. Nabarro Abarca, the largest of the Vasconian states, has four official langues: Danish, English, French and Spanish. However, in actual practice, each of these four languages is concentrated in a particular part of Nabarro Abarca. Spanish is primarily used in Maztlana. French is primarily used in Trois Rivières, a province located in Donnacona. English is generally spoken in the rest of Donnacona. Danish is generally spoken in Gade.

Neither Hipolis nor Laneria is as linguistically diverse as Nabarro Abarca. The de facto official language of Laneria is English and the official language of Hipolis is Greek.

Gaelic is spoken in Kaitan-Leagran, along the Pantocratorian Dialect of Greek.

The four largest racial groups in Vasconia are Europeans, Africans, Vasconian Indians and mixes thereof. There are also minority Arab, Asian and non-human populations.

Countries and territories

Except for the small island of Kaitan-Leagran, the entirety of Vasconia is territory of the Confederated Peoples of the Resurgent Dream. Of the ninety-five Confederal Members, fifty-one are located in Vasconia.